Manage or Lead?

In my experience in the supervisory and management world I have found that getting the job done in a consistent day to day way, comes down to the view of the managing person no matter what the actual title the person holds. I have separated these views by using the words manage and lead.

There is always talk about how to motivate employees to get the job done in a consistent manner. Often I have seen that people in management take care of tasks. There seems to be a view that these people are the ones that give out a work assignment and then see if it is getting done, make the corrections along the way, and then close it out when it is completed. Though this is part of the job there is no interaction set up here for the employee. In this scenario the employee isn't involved in the process except to complete the task. Many times managers will let the day go along until of course a reaction is needed to a problem. This is often referred to as "putting out fires". It is the managing person that now has to correct this.

Often I have seen that communication with employees many times is insufficient. I have seen managers with a feeling that knowledge is power. I believe this to be true when it is shared with the employees. Employees should not know everything about the company but they should know the goals of the company, the information about their jobs, where to find what is related to their jobs, and how to get problems solved.

This is where management turns to leadership. A leader will take obstacles out of the way before they become a problem. A leader will check with the employees or team members to see how the job is going. A leader will listen to the team members. A team member bringing a problem should also always have an idea for a solution but need to know someone is listening. The big picture of the goals and measurements should always be given to the employees with feedback from time to time, so they can see they are succeeding.

To have employees motivate themselves there needs to be an investment from the employee. In other words there needs to be a reason that benefits the employee. Getting paid for a job starts the investment but will not be enough to go the extra mile for most all of the time. Money is a short term motivator. Instead through the actions and words of the leader the employee will see if he/she matters or not. This can be done by reminding the employee or team member that whatever job is being done is necessary to the whole. It is good to tell the employee that whatever is accomplished counts towards that employees reputation. The employer needs to show that it is very important to the goals of the company to have everyone contribute.

A workplace is not much different than a sports team. Coaches do not usually play the game. But they do give the players the resources and training to play the game well in most cases. But mostly a good coach believes that the team can get it done.