Effective Manager - Increase “Buy-in” with your employees

In the years of working with small business owners and CEOs, there is a question that arises more often than not...
“How do we motivate our employees?”

I grew up in a great family. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, dad owned his own business working 6 to 7 days a week and my younger brother named Dave. We were tight.

While we had great relationships, when it came down to chores and tasks, there wasn’t much room for error. You show up with 100% of what you have, with a plan and get it done right the first time.

I remember my dad saying “if you’re going to half ass it don’t bother doing it at all“. 

He was right. Why waste your time? I had my first job at the age of 14, working at McDonalds on the flipping burgers, in 1987. Worked hard and moved up the ladder quickly. In fact, it’s the same work ethic that brought me to where I am today.

Unfortunately in today, we see something different. Most families have one of two scenarios. Both parents work or either mom / dad is not around.  

As you may have already found out, this has had a direct impact on the workforce.

The question still comes up, how do we motivate our workforce to see their position at work as more than a simple job?

Unfortunately, the majority of the new workforce feels though a job is a right in lieu of a privilege.  
In speaking with several CEOs and those in management, there’s a common response: “Go ahead and fire me, I’ll simply find a new job“. 

How do we create solution?

While there are a multitude of managing styles, let’s start by looking at three styles of managing employees.  

It will be clear that not all leadership is management and not all management is leadership.

The Dictatorship Style 

A common style of leaders popular in and prior to 80s. If you worked during this time, you how effective it was. As mentioned in the beginning of the article, this had been bred into us from our parents. 

The dictatorship style of managing is “do as I say or I’ll find someone else that will do it for you“. In other words if you don’t do it, you’re out of a job.

Another aspect of the dictatorship style, is micromanaging.
Micromanaging will enable your employees to become reliant on you to tell them what, when and how to do it. Shutting down the ability to create Active Thinking. 

Active Thinking is the ability to see an issue or challenge and work through it to find solution(s). Instead, the issue or challenge is brought to management to create the solution, increasing the work load on everyone, while decreasing efficiency. 

This style of leadership does not allow a place for feedback or ideas to improve the processes, employee positioning or company advancement. 

In some cases, this may generate results for the short term, however it ultimately creates an ever growing gap between management and employee. Creating an additional issue, a fixed mindset. 
An employee with a fixed mindset feels there is no room for growth and will do just enough to stay under the radar to simply stay employed.

This style of leadership breeds inefficiency, resistance, negative customer experiences and eventually the downfall of companies.

The Management Style

While the management style is a step in the right direction, it still lacks the ability to create loyalty with your employees.  

In this style, leadership doles out and enforces directives, leaning more into the realm of accountability, than leader. Essentially, this management style is spending their time, checking in on the employee making sure that they’re staying on top of their tasks.

As an employee, this removes responsibility of ownership at the workspace. In most employees’ eyes, there is no reason to “own” their position. No matter how hard they work, the reward is passed up to the one’s in charge.

While there’s better reception to the ideas and improvements, the ‘status’ of the employee is what typically dictates the merit of the idea. 

This style also sits in a category of a fixed mindset. As opposed to the dictatorship style, the management style is not concerned about losing their job. However, the emphasis is on maintaining their job and pleasing the manager(s) over the advancement of the company.  

The Collaboration Style

This style of management is a combination of multiple styles. 

Similar to the dictatorship and management styles, there is a high level of service expected from the employees. Where the styles differ, is in the agreements created during the employment process.

It’s important to note, there’s still a need to assign tasks however they are tasks to be assigned through agreement. 

The difference here is the agreement. An open dialogue is created during the task assignment. Collectively creating a due date, masterminding more efficient ways to produce the results and if there are any additional resources necessary in completing the tasks.  

In other words, fully supporting the employee and the task at hand. 

Are supportive

Offer guidance instead of giving commands

Value learning as a way of growing

Ask guided questions

Balance relaying knowledge and helping others find it themselves

Are self-aware

This style of management is also labeled “Mentorship”. 

When you fully equip your employees with the tools and resources to win, they show up powerfully with buy-in.