Nearly every day we hear how we need more from our employees in tough economic times. We need them to have more control of expenses, better focus on efficiency, greater effort and more innovation. If you wait until times are tough to ask these things from your employees, you are already in trouble.
Great organizations insist on great things from their employees at all times—in strong or weak economies. Strong organizations invest in the right people who, on a daily basis, cut waste, spend wisely, hunt for opportunities and constantly make the company better. This isn’t by accident. These employees are well-chosen, coached and developed. In short, employees who are well-managed can become MaxPerformers.
MaxPerformers create opportunities out of daily events. They connect with customers and are passionate about their work. MaxPerformers remind us of the truth in the statement: Our people are our profits.
Management is the key to a great performance. Successful self-storage owners know how to engage, inspire and connect with their employees. They know how to develop the ordinary employee into the MaxPerformer. The following five areas can help you create MaxPerformers in your organization.
Hire employees who exhibit the right talents for the right role. In today’s intellectual workplace, we know employees must think their way through the day. We also know thinking is unique to each of us and, therefore, not everyone is a good fit for every role. MaxPerformers are employees who work in areas that match their talents because it connects them intellectually to their work. They feel capable, confident and competent.
The key to achieving great performance, as described by Marcus Buckingham in First, Break All the Rules, is to ensure employees have the natural talents and are cast into roles that allow them to fully use their talents. Great cooks who work as warehouse supervisors will never be known for their (MaxPerformance) culinary genius. Great salesmen who work as accountants will never be known for their (MaxPerformance) selling prowess. Employees become MaxPerformers because they know their talents and work in roles that allow these talents to be fully developed.
Customize employees’ roles around their talents, interests and values. Average performers are bored with their work; MaxPerformers are excited about their work because they enjoy what they do. Successful managers learn all they can about their employees then build the employees’ roles to include tasks and responsibilities that both appeal to the employee and build organizational value.
The more the role is customized (sculpted) for the employee, the more emotionally connected (engaged) the employee becomes; this translates into dynamic performance. For example, an employee who also loves to teach and share information can be asked to coordinate and present new product education to employees and customers. Employees become MaxPerformers when they are connected emotionally to what they do.
Establish performance expectations so employees can own their performance. MaxPerformers take full ownership for their performance and their impact. Owners encourage this process by clearly defining each employee’s performance expectations, including financial expectations, and allowing employee input in creating the plan to achieve the expectation. This activates an employee’s sense of performance ownership and moves the ordinary performer to a MaxPerformer.
Owners move ordinary employees to MaxPerformers by defining performance expectations and allowing employees to own the implementation plans.
Spend time with each employee to provide recurring performance feedback. MaxPerformers want to constantly learn, improve and acquire new skills. Owners who provide constant performance feedback regularly provide instruction, coaching and skill guidance. They are always watching for teachable moments and use them to encourage great performance and redirect poor performance.
Employees who are given the regular opportunity to improve quickly become MaxPerformers; they welcome effective feedback and use it to increase their performance, contribution and impact.
Spend time with each employee talking about the future. Employees think about today; MaxPerformers plan for the future. Owners who spend time discussing the employee’s future—new directions, opportunities for growth and contribution—engage employees for the long term.
A career development discussion builds a strong relationship between the employee and owner because he shows interest in the long-term contribution and development of the employee. Average performers are kept in the dark; MaxPerformers have a clear vision of the future, a voice in its direction and the support from their employer to implement it.
Effective management is the key to developing average employees into MaxPerformers. Connect employees intellectually and emotionally to their work and workplace. Not only will they develop into MaxPerformers who build your workplace brand, but they will generate consistently extraordinary results.
Jay Forte is a speaker and consultant. His first book, Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition, was released in March. For more information call 401.338.3505; visit www.fireupyouremployees.com.
