If managed properly, every employee can be a great asset to the company. However, they can also be a great expense, a tremendous responsibility, and a potential liability. It’s all in how you look at it, and how you manage others. Employees are hired to perform certain tasks. Too often, getting the most “bang for your buck” is seen as piling on more and more work onto each person, sometimes expecting them to do the job of several people. While that may seem like a cost efficient way to do things, nothing could be further from the truth. Sooner or later, this kind of approach will prove itself quite detrimental. Overworked employees become overwhelmed, unhappy, burned out employees. The quality of work suffers, as do dedication and safety.
It’s much more productive to partner with your employees by taking the time to coach and develop them, and by nurturing and utilizing their strengths. Take some time to get to know your employees. This doesn’t mean spending countless hours chatting with every member of your team – a few minutes on a somewhat regular basis will suffice. Start by browsing through previous posts (specifically ones focusing on the coaching and development of your employees, and on ways of utilizing their strengths and talents). The efforts that you put into managing your employees have a direct, positive correlation with the results that you’ll see. Get the most “bang for your buck” the smart way, not the hard way.
Suggested reading (previous blogs): October 2009; 11/3/09; 2/6/10; 4/11/10; 8/22/10; 10/24/10
