Recommended Reading

Over four decades ago, Douglas McGregor wrote about The Human Side of Enterprise and how important it was for companies to devote attention to their workers. At the time, his insights were largely overlooked by business people who weren't ready for such new thinking. Now, in Douglas McGregor, Revisited, the authors bring back some of the management guru's most provocative ideas with new relevance for the 21st century. They explain why he matters now and how we can apply his ideas to our business world today.

It's not all about the money...

Just read an article entitled, "How to Inspire Workers in Tough Times". The quick summary is that managers, supervisors, and leaders in general need to do more to motivate their employees in the tough times that we are facing. In many ways I would think that this should be common sense, but I have learned to never assume that something is common sense.

People like money. We all like money, but to assume that money is the greatest motivator is wrong. People are motivated most by intrinsic things such as enjoying their job, feeling respected by their supervisor, finding their job challenging yet rewarding, etc...... People also have needs. They have needs to belong, to advance in their careers, and to be recognized for a job well done.

So with the economy in the toilet, it should come as no surprise that now more then ever, managers need to work to keep their employees motivated. The best part is that it's really not that hard. Just remember what you're mother used to tell you when you were a kid, "Everyone in the world is different." - Mom's always know best! So, remember that people are different and people require different things to keep them intrinsically motivated in their work. So as a manager, you're job as the "leader" of you're team is to understand what motivates the individuals on your team (see, there is an "I" in team).

How do you do this? It's easy.... listen, talk to each person, get to know them a bit. What do they need? What do they want? What are their biggest worries? Find ways to praise each person for something that they have done that has contributed to the team and the organization. You will be surprised what will happen when you take the time to really get to know the people that report to you.

Managers and Leaders

I just read a blog on the differences between management and leadership. While this discussion is somewhat timeless, it did get me thinking and made me want to revisit the topic. Without going through and listing what I see as the major differences, I thought I would list one thing that I find important in this discussion. It's a simple concept but I don't see it discussed very often.

You can't manage people. You can manage a lot of things like tasks, projects, or even your check book, but you can't manage people if your ultimate goal is to be viewed and respected as a leader. You lead people and manage their work, but the leadership aspect should always come first.

One great way to get started is to take on a mind set that you must first serve your team and your employees before they will follow you and see you as their leader. Serving others first earns respect and trust while demonstrating integrity and commitment to your team.

How can we serve our team? Remember, it's not just about the work, we are dealing with people here. What are their needs, their wants, and their concerns? How can you, as a leader, uncover what they need to get the job done? Once you uncover their needs, you must demonstrate a willingness to listen, support, and provide guidance to help get the job done. Over time, serving your team first will help you take a step away from being seen as "the boss" and being respected as "the leader".

After that, you still have to manage the work, tasks and the projects but this will all become much easier when you have a team that believes in you, supports you, and is willing to work with you instead of for you.

Manage the work and Lead the people.