Great managers or leaders are comfortable having deep conversations with their people. I have found in my executive coaching practice that leaders need to connect with their people who will execute the strategy.
I am currently coaching the executive team of a San Francisco Bay Area high-tech company. We are working on a process to discover the identity of the business. Part of the process will be for the CEO and executives to ask powerful questions of themselves and their people. Who are we at our core? What do we stand for? What business are we in? What is our purpose? Where do I fit in?
Leaders need to know and deeply care about their people. The ability to do this is easier for some leaders than others. But it can be developed.
How well do you know your people at work?
For great managers, the path toward engaging employees and keeping them engaged begins with asking them what they want and what is important in order to be effective in their roles. The following is a summary of what workers responding to the Gallup Q12 survey say they want from their managers:
- Focus me
- Equip me
- Know me
- Help me see my value
- Care about me
- Help me grow
- Hear me
- Help me see my importance
- Help me feel proud
- Help me build mutual trust
- Help me review my contributions
- Challenge me
“Great organizations achieve sustainable growth and profits because they do what other organizations don’t: they maximize the innate, individual talents of their employees to connect with customers. They know that tapping the resources of humans is the only remaining area where significant improvements can—and do—lead to an unlimited source of competitive advantages.”
Curt Coffman, Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina, in Follow this Path 2002
How effective are you as a leader engaging your people?
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