Managers sometimes get the feeling that they are pulling hard, while employees seem to be waiting. Why is it that employees take little or no responsibility?
Managers often feel that they own all the problems. As they try to tackle all these problems, employees often become more and more reluctant. After all, they have the feeling that they are not doing it right or that they are doing it too slowly or too late. “If your manager needs you, you’ll get hear it.”
Managers also tend to delegate ‘tasks’. “Will you do this for me?” “Show me when it’s done?” In this way, managers feel like they’re in control and can intervene at any time. But it does not increase the involvement and motivation of employees.
Engagement arises precisely when a manager dares to delegate ‘the problem’. When that happens, the employee is challenged to think for themselves. Most employees like to be challenged and will do their very best to show what they are worth. In the beginning it may not always yield the desired result, but in the longer term the benefits are enormous. Imagine that as a manager you no longer have to come up with a solution for every problem in the team.
In our transformational leadership program, we help managers to manage on ‘outcome’ using the GROW the InPersona way methodology.