Here are three proven examples of how strong management can collectively raise the bar on expectations, reality and the overall potential of a department or company.
1. Present a call to action. A little over a year ago, the COO at Salesforce.com, a CRM solutions company, challenged her front-line managers to increase the average performance level of every employee in their departments by 10%. While Salesforce didn’t quite hit the 10% mark, it did increase the level of performance across the board by 8% – a feat which represented the equivalent of adding 20-25 more employees!
The success story of Salesforce – rendered all the more poignant given the current economy – began with one C-level exec challenging every manager to raise the bar on his or her own department. Once that gauntlet’s been officially thrown down, here are four ways to ensure your call to action achieves some quantifiable measure of success:
Require each supervisor to submit a plan. It’s unrealistic to assume managers are going to boost results by simply “working harder.” Require each of them to submit a plan complete with action steps. Once you’ve approved each plan, add one or more ways you pledge to help that supervisor achieve his/her goal, then have both parties sign off on it.
Set firm follow-up dates. These should be set in stone, and marked on a calendar, so supervisors know exactly when you plan to follow up, and which metrics that meeting will likely focus on.
Adjust for progress (or lack thereof). During every meeting, you may need to adjust primary goals to properly motivate each manager. If someone is well ahead of the goal, congratulate him and consider whether it’s worth raising the bar. If not, scale back so that department is still shooting for an attainable mark.
Create very specific rewards and consequences. In a situation where you’re trying to boost individual performance, personalized rewards would seem to make the most sense. More importantly, make it clear employees who aren’t willing or able to at least show some initiative will have their feet held to the fire. C-level execs who fail to set or follow through on expressed consequences devalue hard-working supervisors, while sending a message that subpar performance is completely acceptable.
2. Develop ‘multipliers’. A recent Wiseman Group study asked employees across the globe to rate how successful their managers were at developing untapped potential. The majority of world-class leaders were ranked as mining 95% of each employee’s true potential, as opposed to 48% for average leaders. These world-class leaders are often referred to as “multipliers” – so-called because of their ability to get more from existing employees rather than increasing department headcount. How do these “multipliers” do what other managers cannot? Two keys:
- They offer consistent training and development to employees at every rank and level of experience.
- They’re always offering staffers something loftier to shoot for, whether it be a promotion, a senior title, a bigger bonus, or a corner office. The bottom line: Employees who work for these managers always feel a sense of ongoing challenge and fulfillment.
3. Solicit regular feedback. One final trait that separates best-in-class leaders from the rest of the pack is their willingness to solicit and act upon employee feedback. Survey your managers (and your customers) at least once a year to determine what your company’s doing well and how it can be of better service. It won’t only make the company more effective, it’ll empower just about everyone else you’ve come to rely on
