Employee Excellence: Building a Team of Employees Who Live It
SportsEvery team has three types of employees…those who hear it, believe it, and live it. My hope is that by the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of which group of employees has the most potential to help the team achieve its goal of being world class. First, let me explain that the “it” when you hear it, etc., has nothing to do with one’s proficiency or years of service in a given role. “That” refers to the level of commitment employees have to their role, team, and organization. I mean how emotionally invested they are.
Let’s start with the employee audience. They basically have a “it’s just a job” mentality. They come to work, do what they’re supposed to do, take the required break, and go home. These audience clerks are capable of performing in this way for long periods of time, contributing nothing more than the bare minimum. As I mentioned, the “it” has nothing to do with tenure. So the employee who has been on the job for 30 years can easily be just listening to you. Also, a new employee who may be justifiably apathetic due to a horrible previous supervisor may also just be listening to you.
Over time, and with the right supervisor, that employee who listens to you may come to believe it. These employees who believe they have accepted the company culture and enjoy their work. They understand the “purpose” of their role, team, and organization. They do their job duties, and more. Keep in mind, however, that while these employees believe they are reliable and stable workers, they are not “star” workers…yet.
These star performers are the living employees. These employees always come to work early and leave late. They look for ways to contribute more. They have a burning desire to improve performance…not just for themselves, but for the entire team. They tend to be the informal leaders that others follow after meetings are over and memos are sent out. These are the employees who truly create exceptional memories and build customer loyalty through their exceptional service delivery. While the manager may design the strategy, the employees who live it adopt that strategy as their own and dedicate themselves to implementing the strategy. The manager trusts them. In fact, these employees who live it can easily do the equivalent work of three or more teammates who hear/believe it. They are so good.
Now that I’ve explained the three types of employees, let me ask a question. If your goal, as a manager, is to build a team full of living employees, which group would you spend most of your time focusing on? By focus, I mean who should get the most opportunities for training, feedback, recognition, and development. Whenever I ask this question in my keynotes and workshops, the majority of people say they hear it, then a smaller # say they believe it, and the minority say they live it. While it’s true that focusing on any of the three groups will likely lead to improvement, one group in particular will spur the best results in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of managerial energy.
Here is a brief analogy to illustrate my point. The winner of the 2009 NBA Finals was the Los Angeles Lakers. They were the best team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), considered by many to be the dominant basketball league in the world. On many occasions, head coach Phil Jackson could be seen giving additional instructions to Kobe Bryant, who is the Lakers’ main star player (living employee). The same pattern is obvious during meetings, locker room chats, and practice sessions. Why the hell would this legendary coach, who has won ten NBA championships, spend more time with the player who is already playing better? Note that this player already scores the most points, leads the team in many other statistical categories, and is the undisputed leader on the floor.
On the surface, this leadership approach of spending the most time with living employees seems strange to most leaders because the norm is to spend the most time with those who contribute the least. Paying the most attention to the employees who live it first, then believe it, and so on, will require a major shift in the way managers manage and how leaders lead. This point has to do with a basic but powerful concept that can revolutionize the way you handle yourself and others. It is often referred to as strengths management or positive organizational scholarship. Essentially, it means that in order to get more of what is right, you have to focus on what is right. If you want excellent performance, then talk excellent performance. If you want more employees to exceed customer expectations, talk about exceeding customer expectations.
Focusing on those employees who are underperforming only sends the message that underperformance, not excellence, is your focus. One of the fastest ways to demotivate your employees is to accept the poor performance or lackluster performance of others. Employees who experience it yearn to work for a manager who demands excellent performance. They go from job to job hoping that this manager will finally be the one to model great performance, talk about great performance, reward great performance, and punish anything that isn’t great performance. These employees who live it want to empower themselves and they want you to ask them for their opinions.
An interesting point, though, is that employees who experience it will often tell you that they don’t need any additional recognition, that they’re motivated, and that they don’t require anything more from you. Do not believe them! It isn’t true. Please read the following very carefully. Everyone who works hard craves appreciation and recognition. They want…no…need to know that their hard work and dedication is appreciated. If living it employees don’t feel appreciated, they will either quit and leave, or quit and stay. Neither option is desirable.
A key takeaway from reading this article is to rehire your living employees. By rehiring, I mean spending one-on-one time with your employee (or employees) living it.
Ask questions like:
o What motivates you?
o How would you like (or would like) to be recognized?
o Who do you like to receive recognition from? (they may prefer the recognition of their clients or co-workers)
o Do you prefer public or private recognition?
o What are your personal/professional goals?
o What are your special hobbies/interests?
Please understand that this approach does not mean you should ignore being heard and believed by employees. This approach emphasizes that before you do anything else, make sure the employees who are contributing the most (your people who live by it) are kept motivated, recognized, challenged, and involved. It is much more catastrophic for the living person to lose motivation than for the hearing person to become demotivated. Unfortunately, too many managers overuse and undervalue their employees who live it. In fact, there are many employees listening to it and believing that, at some point, they were living it. They are just waiting for their manager to focus on great performance and be consistent in demanding great performance. Living it employees take exceptional pride in their work and it hurts when anything less than excellence is demanded of all team members.
Here is a quick management self-assessment:
o Do I meet with my living it employees at least once a month (to discuss their personal/professional goals, strengths, areas for improvement, department goals, and company goals)?
o Have I recognized them for their excellent work (in the last week or two)?
o Have I personalized recognition for them?
o Have I asked for your opinion on anything (in the last week or two)?
o Have I used them to help recruit and/or interview new employees? (Who better to identify and help screen more living employees than your current employees?)
o Do they have the proper tools and resources to do the best job possible?
If you want to attract employees who live, then BE a manager who values employees who live. To be known for valuing excellence and treating the best the way they deserve to be treated. Excellent companies that are revered for their excellent performance have a large number of excellent employees. Focusing on excellence breeds more excellence. Living employees generate more living employees. Therefore, I urge you to self-assess and rededicate your entire team to the standard that matters most: excellence.