Smart
People Need Smart Leaders
Don't
fall into the trap of thinking you can manage
knowledge workers lightly.
Today's
talented knowledge workers have great potential
to contribute to your organization, but must be
lead differently to other more compliant workers.
See
below for your free bonus resources.
Leading
Knowledge Workers: Avoid These 5 Leadership Sins
by
Faith Ralston
According
to the latest studies, the average employee is
delivering only 50% of what they are capable of
offering to your organization. As a leader, you’re
frustrated by this lack of performance. You’d
like to clone your high performers so you can
become more results oriented like the entrepreneurial
companies you see in the marketplace.
To
capture the talents and potential of today’s
knowledge workers, you must recognize the dramatic
rise in numbers of these employees. Knowledge
workers are the individuals who use their ‘brains’
instead of their ‘brawn’ to get work
done. These are the information specialists, researchers,
marketing and sales experts whose talents drive
the success of your business. To ensure high performance
— you must manage these talented individuals
differently than employees of the past. Their
talents can help you take your business to the
top. But like a spirited racehorse, they must
be handled with care.
Avoid
these five deadly sins and you’ll capture
knowledge workers’ discretionary energy
and build enthusiasm:
#1. Focus only on what’s wrong.
The “no news is good news” approach
to leading knowledge workers is a receipt for
disaster. You might think that if employees aren’t
screwing up, they don’t need to hear from
you. But knowledge workers want to be recognized.
They need your attention. Recognize progress and
give recognition to foster their talents and help
them move in the right direction and fuels their
enthusiasm. Avoid focusing only on what’s
wrong and acknowledge what’s going right.
#2. Ignore poor performers.
High-performing knowledge workers want you to
deal with poor performers — otherwise the
problem lands in their lap. You must address performance
challenges by coaching the employee, reassigning
the individual to an area where their talents
are best suited—or remove them altogether.
In either case, pay attention to problems and
take corrective action. Don’t let laggards
linger, derail your progress and de-motivation
other employees.
#3. Overlook boredom and talent misfit.
Job uncertainty and fear may prevent employees
from speaking up about a change that’s needed.
It’s your job to notice when individuals
lost interest, struggle in their current position,
or slack off for some unknown reason. Address
these issues head on instead of allowing them
to continue. There’s no joy in just getting
by. You don’t help employees by allowing
a bad fit to continue. Tough love with self and
others is part of moving into the new economy.
#4. Let them say ‘YES’ to everything.
Help knowledge workers curb their appetite to
work on interesting projects that are unrelated
to business priorities. No matter how exciting
a project is, you must help employees discern:
“Is this project contributing to the goals
of the business? Can I justify the time and energy
I’m spending on it? Will this initiative
help us achieve the outcomes we want?” Many
times, knowledge workers bite off more than they
can chew. A wise leader helps employees set limits
and say ‘no’—for their own sake
as well as for the business.
#5.
Fail to give feedback.
In corporate life, no one wants to hear: “This
isn’t working.” But individuals need
to know when their attitudes and behaviors are
causing others a problem. No matter how exceptional
the person is, he or she can make a mistake —
sometimes without knowing it. A wise leader helps
individuals recognize problems and learn from
problems. Don’t wait until there is a crisis
to raise a touchy subject and give feedback. Regular
feedback helps employees grow.
Your primary role as a leader is to help knowledge
workers contribute their talents. Involve them
in key decisions and welcome their input. Encourage
collaboration with others who will stretch their
minds and capabilities. Make sure employee talents
are visible, seen and appreciated by others in
the organization. Remember, knowledge workers
want to use their talents to help your business
grow. Put these ideas into action and watch teamwork
and performance skyrocket!
About
the author: Faith Ralston is president
of Leaps of Faith, Inc. author and leadership
coach for executive teams. Go to www.PlayToYourStrengths.com
for information on her new book PLAY YOUR BEST
HAND that will be out in January 07. Join Faith’s
Bold Leaders Newsletter and receive a FREE Talent
Self Assessment. Simply email:faith@faithralston.com
and request a “FREE Talent Self Assessment.”
You can also reach her at: (612) 333-7047.
How
to Give Feedback Constructively, even when
someone’s done something wrong
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