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#Leadership : #MangingPeople – Why Companies Should Stop Trying So Hard to Make their Employees Happy. A Must REad for Every #Manger !

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Companies often promise their employees happiness to attract and retain the brightest talent—but in reality, if you want happy employees, you need to hire happy people.

The thing is, happiness isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and is extremelydifficult to deliver. Offering perks like free yoga in the office, catered lunches, or gym reimbursements could theoretically make some employees happy. However, it may not mean anything at all to those who value flexible work programs or better learning opportunities.

Guaranteeing your employees happiness will result in an ongoing uphill battle. There will always be individuals in the organization who are unhappy, no matter what the company provides in terms of perks and benefits. To create a great workplace environment, you need to make a simple paradigm shift. Stop trying so hard to make your employees happy, and focus on their satisfaction instead. Here are three ways that you can do that:

1. GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND DEVELOP

Employees won’t be engaged unless they’re doing meaningful, challenging work. That goes beyond leveraging their skills and knowledge in the current role.

You might argue that just like happiness, “meaning” is a subjective thing that differs from employee to employee, and you would be right. However, there is a way for you to cultivate this kind of environment. As Stephanie Vozza previously wrote for Fast Company, you can remind your team why their work matters in the context of bigger organizational goals. As Bill Donoghue, CEO of the training provider solutions Skillsoft, told Vozza, “Every individual needs to feel a sense of ‘I matter,’ that showing up every day makes a difference.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. CREATE A CULTURE OF CONSISTENT FEEDBACK

Of course, you can’t help an employee grow without understanding their goals, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. That’s why you need to ensure that there is a culture of continuous feedback.

Don’t create the expectation and practice that feedback only happens within the confines of an annual review. This kind of structure makes it drastically less effective and creates more anxiety than improvement. According to a 2016 survey by data firm Clutch, 68% of employees who receive accurate and consistent feedback feel fulfilled in their jobs.

Creating this kind of culture goes beyond instructing your managers to do so. You need to establish transparent processes and guidelines, and train managers so that they’re aligned and consistent in how they approach the employee experience.

Feedback shouldn’t be a one-way street either. Employees need to be able to provide feedback up, down, and across the company, and they need to have the opportunity to share their ideas for improvement with the company. Employees that feel their voices are heard are nearly five times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work, according to a 2018 Gallup survey. When companies encourage employees to take an active role in their own growth and development—as well as contribute to the development of their manager, peers, and company culture via feedback, they will naturally feel more invested and engaged.

3. FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

The third pillar of employee engagement centers on creating a strong sense of community, belonging, and support within the workplace. Companies should make it easy for employees to connect with those who have similar interests or experiences—like creating affinity groups for women in tech or new parents. While the company can’t possibly form and manage all of the employee interest groups that people want, you can provide a platform for employees to do so organically.

Many companies spend time and effort trying to bring happiness in the workplace—but they’re putting their focus on the wrong thing. Companies should strive to maximize employee satisfaction. When you create an environment where employees feel engaged, you’ll probably find that happiness comes naturally.

Author: Deena Fox is the CEO and Founder of Brightfox.

 

FastCompany.com | July 21, 2019

#Leadership : 5 UnSpoken Rules of Being a #Manager that No One Tells You About…You’ll be on the Receiving End of More Information Than you Want. Use that Privilege Wisely.

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After many hours of hard work, your employer made you a manager. For the first time in your life, you have several employees reporting to you. You’re excited to make your mark and take your career to the next level. And you should be–your company has recognized that you have leadership potential, and they’re giving you an opportunity to shine.

1) YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, SO USE IT WISELY

As a manager, you are either loved or hated, but never ignored. It can be an uncomfortable situation to be in, even if one of your goals is to be more visible to the company leaders and your team. When you are in the spotlight, people are watching you and forming opinions about you. That means they’re reading your words, actions, and gestures more closely than they were before.

To be clear, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You do not need to change your personality or be a work martyr (in fact, doing so can hurt your performance.) You should, however, acknowledge the impact of your new powers, and see it as an opportunity to define your work culture.

For example, one of the authors of this article, Terra, is a single career mom. On Fridays, she’ll often have to leave for midday elementary school events. When she says to her team, “I’m leaving for Jake’s Halloween party at school, and I’ll be back in two hours,” she is telling them that she values work-life balance and family, and giving them implicit permission to do the same. If she is not upfront about where she needs to be, her team might not realize that it’s acceptable for them to leave work from time to time for family obligations.

Related: How I built a more intelligent work culture than me 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2) YOU’LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COWORKERS THAN YOU WANT

You’ll also find that as you become the go-to source for complaints, you’ll hear things you never thought you would. You’ll listen to accounts of workplace dramas, or even allegations against one of your coworkers. You might also find that you’ll receive complaints about subject matters outside of the office. Employees will come to you about their personal troubles–from health issues to breakups.

As a manager, it’s not your job to solve all of your employees’ problems. There may be occasions when it’s appropriate for you to take charge of the situation, but other times you need to direct them elsewhere. The key is understanding which situation warrants what treatment. You might have to use trial and error to gain this insight, but just be aware that whatever actions you take can have a broad impact on the company.

Related: Stop trying to be friends with all your coworkers, and do this instead 

3) YOU’LL SPEND MORE TIME THAN YOU WANT ON LOW PERFORMERS

When you start managing people, you’ll distinguish your high performers from your low performers. If you’re not careful, you can spend far too much of your time on the latter. That’s why it’s important to identify whether their issues are a matter of capability, skills, or knowledge–and whether it’s something they can overcome. If you don’t think they can change (and you’ve given them plenty of opportunities to prove themselves), then you should think long and hard about whether you should keep them in your team. After all, the time that you’re spending on fixing that person’s mistake is the time you’re not spending developing (and empowering) your high performers.

However, if you believe that they can improve, think about incorporating “coachable moments” in your day-to-day interactions with them. These are on-the-job situations when you can offer feedback in real time. Mollie, for example, ensures that when she is explaining something to a new employee or a low performer, she can point to what a high performer in her team has done. This way, not only is she giving her star employees the recognition they deserve–she is steering her low performing employees towards becoming a high performer (rather than berating them for their mistakes.)

Related: This is the emotionally intelligent way to fire someone

4) YOU’LL BECOME THE DESIGNATED EXPLAINER

The job of the manager is to translate strategy into the day-to-day actions of their team. You’ll find yourself consistently reiterating the company’s strategy and goals, and explaining the connection between the two. At first, you think you’re fine with this arrangement; after all, you know the answers! Then one day it happens: no matter how often you’ve repeated the company’s new priorities–someone in your company still doesn’t get it and asks you to explain it for the millionth time.

Unfortunately, this is one job requirement you’ll just have to weather. And just as people will come to you bearing their personal problems, they’ll also ask questions that you might not know the answer to (for example, issues around HR and benefits.) As a manager, you should have enough knowledge of company policy to answer these questions at a high level, but if it’s something beyond your area of expertise–make sure that you direct their queries to someone who knows the answer.

5) YOU MIGHT FEEL ALONE FROM TIME TO TIME

Sometimes, being a manager means holding on to information that no one else can know, which can be isolating. Sometimes it means being at odds with other managers when it comes to resource allocation. And sometimes, you’ll face circumstances you never imagined you’d be in.

You might be tempted to share these information with your employees. That’s what you used to do, after all. But as managers, we know that at times, it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep specific information confidential. If you must talk about it to someone–try to find an external mentor that you trust. That way, you can maintain your composure at work without violating your obligations as a manager.

Being a manager involves a lot more than just taking on more responsibilities–in fact, it’s a whole new job in and of itself. By being aware of these five points, you can have a plan for tackling potential challenges before you face them. Just understand that there might be instances where you don’t get it right the first time, and that’s okay.

Terra Vicario is the chief marketing officer at Viventium–a cloud-based software and HR software solution. Mollie Lombardi is the co-founder of Aptitude Research Partners–an independent research-based analyst and advisory firm.  

 

FastCompany.com | August 8, 2018 | BY MOLLIE LOMBARDI AND TERRA VICARIO 5 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : How I Got the Attention of #SeniorLeaders When I Was a #Temp …As an #Intern or #TempWorker , it Can be Difficult to Impress Senior Leaders . Two Professionals Share their Strategy on How they Successfully Navigated this Process.

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When Tida Jarjou was hired as a temp employee at a broker dealer in Stamford, Connecticut–her first role out of college–she found herself in a team meeting with four white males. “[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][I] realized I was the only African American and woman on the team,” she told Fast Company. She felt self-conscious. “I was worried that my chances [of obtaining a full-time position] were slim and that the only slots available would go to the white males instead of me,” she says.

But Jarjou did land a full-time job with the company. The week of Thanksgiving, senior management gave its workers the option of working half a day. Most of Jarjou’s colleagues took this option, but Jarjou decided to stay behind to demonstrate her commitment to her work.

She ended up dealing with an angry client, who demanded that their issue be fixed right away. Jarjou knocked on the door of the only other person in the office, who happened to be the company’s CMO. They resolved the matter together. Less than two months into her job, the company offered her a permanent role. She discovered that the CMO had spoken highly of her as she was the only temp who had asked for his help.

As a junior employee, intern, or a temp worker–it can be difficult to gain the attention of senior management, let alone impress them. It can feel even more daunting when many of those senior managers don’t look like you. Two professionals told Fast Company how they navigated this challenge early in their careers .

Related:This is what you should really be learning during your internship 

PERCEPTION AND PRESENTATION MATTERS

Office dress-codes might be on the way out, but it can make a difference in how others perceive you. Charreah Jackson, a senior editor at Essence and author of the upcoming book Boss Bride: The Powerful Woman’s Playbook for Love And Success, told Fast Company that when she interned at the magazine between her junior and senior year, she made a special effort to dress like the editors did. “I just remembered thinking, I never want to signal my age,” Jackson said. By looking like a young editor, rather than an intern, she was presenting herself to be taken seriously.

Jarjou echoed this sentiment. Three years after her job at the broker dealer, she decided that she wanted to transition to the New York finance world. She ended up getting a role as a “floater” for JP Morgan Chase, an associate that filled needs for various investment teams on a short-term basis. Once again, Jarjou had to prove herself to get a permanent position. She answered phones and dealt with clients –illustrating that she was a self-starter who understood the business. “I tried to be as polished as I could. I made sure I really dressed for the job that I wanted. I listened to the conversations that the associates were having.  I joined Toastmasters to practice my public speaking and focused on how I presented myself.” She eventually joined a team as a full-time investment associate.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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TREAT YOUR ROLE LIKE AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW

Jackson and Jarjou both treated their temp positions and internships as an extended interview process. Jarjou told Fast Company,  “I showed a sense of urgency working as a temp and didn’t rest on my laurels.” At the broker dealer, the workers’ output were measured in the customer relationship management system. “I knew anything that was quantifiable–where I could show my value–was the best way for me to control my output. I knew that I might not have the same social leg up as the white men on the team, but what was in my control was the quality of my work output. I stayed longer, I asked the right questions, and I showed genuine interest in the business.” 

Jackson made a special effort to study the industry and the publication during her internship, and later on when she was hired on contract as an editorial assistant (she was eventually made into a full-time online associate web editor a few months later). In addition to making an effort to ask as many questions as possible, she also stayed in touch with different members of the team when her internship ended and she went back to college for her senior year. Every month or so, Jackson would come up to New York from D.C., and organize a meeting with a different staff member from Essence. One day, she was introduced to the new web editor, who happened to be hiring for an editorial assistant at the time. She ended up hiring Jackson.

Related:How my seemingly pointless internship helped my career 

KEEP YOUR EGO IN CHECK

Jarjou believes that her willingness to be vulnerable was critical to her success. “Had I been so consumed with my ego, worrying about myself and how the CMO might perceive me if I approached him, I would have missed the opportunity to make a positive impression on senior management and wouldn’t have added value to that client’s experience,” she told Fast Company. She also knew that what the CMO thought of her wasn’t something she had control over, and as a result–it wasn’t worth spending her energy on.

Related:How to turn your internship into full-time work, including at another company

START BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE YOU NEED THEM

When Jackson started her internship at Essence, there was one piece of advice from their editor-in-chief that stuck with her–build relationships before you need them. Now that she is on the other side, Jackson said that she is amazed at how many interns don’t stay in touch when they finish their internship, only to contact her when they graduate and are looking for a job. “Every hiring decision is made by a person, [so] you really need to make [building relationships] a priority,” Jackson says. During her internship, Jackson would go out of her way to find commonalities between her and the senior editors, and give (genuine) compliments on their work.

Jarjou agrees. Even when the senior leadership doesn’t look like you, there are always ways to show that you are not so different from each other. “I like to think of it as a matter of education. Consider building rapport with higher-ups and help them to understand you just as much you want to understand them.” She acknowledges that it’s important not to lose yourself and pretend to be someone else in the process, but she had to have an “interest of the majority” in order to find her place there. “It’s a dance that you have to do, you have to figure out what other people are doing. Assimilate to the extent that you’re comfortable. I don’t think it hurts to do that.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anisa is the Editorial Assistant for Fast Company’s Leadership section. She covers everything from personal development, entrepreneurship and the future of work.

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FastCompany.com | May 15, 2018 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 5 MINUTE READ

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#Leadership : How to Gain your #Employees Trust, take Care When #Changes Need to be Made…One of the Greatest Threats to #EmployeeEngagement is UnCeremonious or UnDignified Dismissals.

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I was at a conference last month and had the chance to hear from several people who had read my book, “Fired:  How to Manage Your Career in the Age of Job Uncertainty.” One of them told me their organization was having to do a reduction in force. It was going to be a very difficult–the organization’s leaders truly cared about their employees. She then shared that  and her boss used the book to make sure as they planned the layoffs, they did everything they could to help the employees affected transition successfully.

Another person at the same conference told me that she too is having to look at organizational changes and that the book is helping her think more intentionally about those affected.

I am glad to see that my book is having an impact with leaders who truly care about their employees and their organization’s culture.  I had hoped it would help leaders with tough decisions as well as people at the other end of them.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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One of the greatest threats to employee engagement is unceremonious or undignified dismissals.  We’ve seen them in the news.  You may have witnessed them at work.  Someone is perp walked out the door.  Or at 4:55 pm there is an email saying someone “…is no longer with XYZ Company.” Or maybe you’ve heard managers blame or scape goat the person who was let go.  The remaining employees who see their friends treated poorly in a termination wonder, “Am I next?”   or “Is this company worth my loyalty?”

It is so difficult to let someone go, whether they “deserve” it or not.  Handling these gut wrenching decisions with grace and dignity helps leaders keep the trust with their employees.

As one of my book reviewers, John Franklin wrote,

“This is a must read for everyone, whether you have been fired or not, and in doing so, will expand our understanding of others and will make each of us more compassionate human beings.”

I am grateful that these leaders took the lessons learned in the book to heart.  Please share your stories with me as well on my web site www.jobuncertainty.com

Dr. Nancy Koury King is a contributing author on the FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/) & is a participating member of the FSC LinkedIn Network ( www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork ) . 

As mentioned above, her publication of the book, “Fired:  How to Manage Your Career in the Age of Job Uncertainty”  & is available on Amazon below.

https://www.amazon.com/Fired-manage-your-career-uncertainty/dp/1978407130

 

First Sun Career Blog | April 10, 2018