Maybe We Should Change The Policy
Like most professionals, I must admit that I was clueless about how to lead people in the early days of my career. Hence, this is why my title contained the word “Manager” in it. I managed the processes of my employees to make sure they met their KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). If they didn’t, they were usually summoned to my office where I would review their poor performance and focus on the “areas for improvement”.
I did what I thought was right because it was what I had observed of my predecessors for many years. Just as it states in the “Law of The Picture” from John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Leadership book – "people do what people see". I simply followed the processes that I thought were the right way to manage. In short, this meant if they couldn’t make their KPI’s, they needed to go. Pretty cut-throat!
I always thought that having an open-door policy was the best way to lead and set an example for the people I managed. As a young manager, I also thought that I was the pacesetter and should establish the benchmark by driving the highest sales numbers on the team. Assuming I could produce the highest revenue as their manager, that would leave very little room for excuses as to why my team members couldn’t do the same.
UGH!! I want to fire myself already just thinking back on this approach!!
Just because you have an open-door policy doesn’t mean your employees are lining up to speak with you. They are certainly not coming forward to explain how they don’t feel valued!
Not once did I stop and ponder what might truly inspire each person. Forget about discovering what they were really and truly good at doing on my team. Instead, my focus was around their “areas of improvement”, just like the other managers that I had experienced.
It wasn’t until I met the right mentor that I learned how backward I had been leading for all those years.
Instead of focusing on having an open-door policy, I should have adopted an “open ear policy” and listened to what my people need. As a leader, you should be in the trenches with your people as much as possible versus locked up in an office staring at your computer. Take the door off and start using your ears.
I learned from the great John Maxwell that “Good Leaders Ask Great Questions”. Up to that point in my career, I had been doing most of the talking and very little listening.
Below are three helpful tips to consider when leading:
Are you sitting down with your direct reports at least twice a month to ask them what they need and how you can assist?
When you do meet with your team, who is doing most of the talking and who does most of the listening? Is it you mainly telling stories and jokes or are you asking questions to learn more about them individually?
A great question to ask your team and then hold for the feedback is, “What would you like me to keep doing, start doing, or stop doing?”
To your growth,
Kelly