Managing Staff Effectively
The Art of Getting Others to Do What You
Want Done Because They Want to Do It.
Managing staff effectively is probably one of the hardest tasks any manager has to deal with on a day to day basis. How do you get them to do what you want them to do? How do you get them to listen to (and respect) you in the first place? And, probably most important of all, how do you keep them motivated, ready to do it all over again? Well, to be honest, I don’t believe there’s an easy answer to any of these questions. However, there are a couple of things that might help you figure out what to do.
First of all, it’s essential to realize that each and every one of your staff is a unique individual. There’s no one-size-fits-all in staff management. But, of course, it’s also not realistically possible to actually manage every member of staff in their own unique bespoke manner. What you can do, though, is group your staff in the following four categories:
😎 Experienced and Motivated
🙄 Inexperienced but Motivated
😟 Experienced but Unmotivated
😫 Inexperienced and Unmotivated
As you can see, this significantly simplifies matters already. Let’s have a look at what I mean by these four categories.
Experienced and Motivated
Experienced and motivated staff members are the ones you’d hope they would all be like. They know what to do and they won’t be satisfied with their work until it’s done right. Because of their experience, they are also able to see other/further work that needs to be done without being told to do so and they are willing to put in extra time if so required.
Inexperienced but Motivated
These are the ones that show potential and, with the right manager, might move up to the first category. They may not yet have much experience but are willing to learn. They will be very observant of their colleagues and probably bombard you with questions. Moreover, inexperienced but motivated staff members are quite likely to spend a good amount of their own time learning and practicing the tools of their trades.
Experienced but Unmotivated
These are the tricky ones. They know what to do and how to do it but they just can’t be bothered. They tend to be late, regularly away for bathroom breaks or just ‘sick’ at home. Their work is often sloppy and below expectation and they seem to need continuous instruction and supervision. These kinds of staff members also tend to lack confidence in both themselves and their work.
Inexperienced and Unmotivated
Inexperienced and unmotivated staff members are the ones any manager dreads. They don’t know what to do and aren’t willing to learn how to do it. They pay very little attention to instructions and, as a result, their work is far below expectation. And they couldn’t care less about it; work half done = done.
Once you’ve categorized your staff into these four groups, the question becomes, how do you manage them? The short answer to this is that each category needs its own approach when it comes to managing them. The manager needs to be either a coach, a teacher, a mentor or a warden. What does this mean, let’s have a look.
A Coach for the Experienced and Motivated
Experienced and motivated staff don’t need a manager to tell them what to do, they need someone to help them become better at what they do, i.e. a coach. Rather than telling staff how to do their work, a coach-manager will guide them along a path of self-discovery by asking open questions and delegating work appropriately.
A Teacher for the Inexperienced but Motivated
Hired for all the right reasons but new to the team, inexperienced but motivated staff need a manager who teaches them how things are done in their specific team. An effective manager-teacher will make sure these staff members will get the time, resources and space to develop themselves. In addition to this, the manager-teacher will train these staff by asking directive questions to help them along their journey and always be available to provide information and answers to their questions.
A Mentor for the Experienced but Unmotivated
Unlike a teacher, a mentor doesn’t teach but advises. Experienced but unmotivated staff know what to do but they just don’t do it. For this reason, teaching them would be counterproductive. There are myriad reasons why someone might be unmotivated. It could just be lack of confidence but there might also be something far more serious. The key to managing these staff members is to listen and be there for them. They might need more supervision because they are easily distracted but they don’t need to be told what to do and/or how to do it. Give them enough freedom to build trust (but keep an eye on their work results) and they’ll confide in you. At this point you should coach them towards a solution to what is causing their lack of motivation.
A Warden for the Inexperienced and Unmotivated
Inexperienced and unmotivated staff shouldn’t be in your team in the first place. However, somewhere down the line a mistake was made and you are stuck with them. What you need to avoid is that these staff drag others down in a spiral of negativity and so you need to treat them like a warden would. A warden makes sure rules are obeyed and instructions are followed. Shy from micromanagement, they need constant supervision and a constant workload. Make them do the work, if you don’t they win. There will be truly lost causes in this category but with a bit of luck, effort and guidance, an inexperienced and unmotivated staff member might turn into a experienced but unmotivated one and, over time, possibly even an experienced and motivated ideal team member.
Key Takeaway
To manage staff effectively a manager needs to wear the hats of either a coach, a teacher, a mentor or a warden. Each member of staff will need their own approach but will most likely fall into one of the four categories outlined in this article.
[T]here you are.
Resource: Malone, D. M. (1983) Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach. Navato, CA: Presidio Press
