There are many ways to engender great results from your staff, but this is my favourite;
Defer to their authority!
Your staff are the people at the front-line of your operation. It’s they who see the challenges and solve the issues (probably without you even knowing they have). Whilst you are in your position because you have a level of expertise and a set of skills, they too have something to contribute.
Your role is to conduct the orchestra, theirs is to play the music. You hired them to do that, allow them to have a say in how the tune sounds.
The benefits to doing that are many and varied, here’s a summary:
√ Staff feel empowered
what’s your typical response when you feel empowered?
√ They are inspired to make more suggestions
doesn’t it set your brain off when someone asks your opinion?
√ They become more engaged
ever noticed a knock-on effect when you ask a professional for their opinion?
√ Productivity goes up
we all like to be valued
Being a manager is not about being the most important, the most knowledgeable or the one who holds the most power; it’s about knowing how to create an environment where all of the cogs are working together to turn the wheel as efficiently as possible.