Unprepared for growth? It's not too late.
02 February 2010 8:33am
The time to prepare your organisation's human resources for growth was three or four months ago, but there are four steps that those still in survival mode can take now, says human capital expert Anthony Sork.
While the downturn had some people believing "security fears" had done away with competition for talent, the skills market hadn't actually improved. "It's just that the mobility of the workforce had died down," Sork says.
Now, as mobility increases, employers that have worked to retain talent will be in a position where "anyone they bring on board is actually growth-related". Further, the employees that have been retained "are actually going to be fairly highly engaged and want to perform at a high level".
Employers that need to replace existing talent will suffer a lag time, Sork says, as every person that leaves adds "an extension to the timeline for them to be business-ready".
He suggests that HR managers who have not prepared for growth should go into damage control now, taking four important steps.
1. Look for the warning signs
Discretionary effort - or a lack of it - is the first warning sign to look out for, says Sork. By examining people's behaviour patterns, employers can seek to discern whether workers are "demonstrating a willingness to apply themselves to the best of their ability and for the good of the company" or just achieving "minimum performance standards" until "something better comes up".
Meanwhile, Sork suspects the biggest warning sign - resignations - is yet to be fully realised. "The interview process for existing employees will take a little while and then I think real mobility will start kicking in [during] February and March." Only then will some businesses realise they are entering a "danger zone", he says.
2. Prepare for what's ahead by acknowledging what's past
One of "the biggest issues" for organisations post-GFC is the way they focused on survival at the expense of engagement during the downturn, says Sork. In order to address this, employers should acknowledge their mistakes to employees and explain why their actions were necessary "from their perspective, at the time", he says.
It is about acknowledging, not justifying, their actions, he says, "resetting the commitment to people and therefore, hopefully, resetting the commitment of people to the business".
3. Compensate workers according their value
Even those organisations who were "doing the right thing" by their employees all along may have had to stop handing out bonuses or doing salary reviews during the downturn. "Knowing now that the business is potentially going to enter into a phase of growth and will capitalise on better performance, they do need to make sure there is at least a review of how they are going to acknowledge the commitment their people have given during tougher times," he says. Whether that's financial or otherwise, there is a need to demonstrate appreciation for employees' commitment during difficult times.
Sork says managers should ask themselves: "Do I want to hang on to this person? What do they see as their perceived value? Am I compensating them according to their perceived value? Do I think I'm getting value out of them?"
"If all of those answers are 'yes, I am,' then you're likely to have a secure employee," he explains. "If the employee thinks they're being undervalued at the moment then there's a risk they're going to seek out environments other than yours."
4. Prepare managers to be good primary carers
A manager's ability to create a welcoming environment can be the difference between avoiding the "revolving door" and attracting and retaining talent, says Sork. While all employees need to accept their role in welcoming a new member, the manager is the key.
"In our experience, the majority of managers are not good at attaching and onboarding, and so we're likely to enter into a phase where there is a reasonable level of placement and fallout," Sork says.
Sork suggests building awareness and readiness by helping managers to understand what attachment is, and the impact they will have during the critical attachment period (the first 120 days).
Their performance will affect the discretionary effort and performance of all new employees - and the overall risk of attrition - so it must be measured and managed well, he says.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article from this weeks Recruiter Daily
Will the candidates you place now outlast your guarantee?
09 February 2010 6:51am
Consultants who don't find out why candidates are leaving their jobs over the next few months increase their risk of placements who "bounce", and could lose a lot of time and income in a 'place and replace' cycle, says human capital consultant Anthony Sork.
A significant number of people are now leaving or intending to leave their employers, after many organisations "focused on results and performance to the detriment of people and engagement activities" during the downturn, he says.
A risk arises because these candidates are very much focused on their reasons for leaving their companies, Sork says, whereas in different economic circumstances they would give much more thought to what they are moving for.
Traditionally, he says, candidates have two 'lists' operating: 'why I want to be here'; and 'why I would choose not to be here'. When the first list has greater force they stay where they are, and when the balance is in favour of the second list they look to move.
The problem with candidates being so focused on reasons to leave their employer is that they will likely accept new positions that don't tick all their 'want' boxes, and they won't properly consider whether the new environment might also have their 'don't want' factors.
"In situations like that, people shift and move, and then all of a sudden... find there's two things going on. One: 'I realise now I wanted more than I was consciously seeking - there are things I'm not getting here that I would like.' And two: 'There are also things present in this new environment that I was focused on leaving in the last environment - I was so focused on getting away that I didn't pay attention to what was going on here.'"
Don't get stuck in a replacement cycle
Sork, the managing director of Sork HC, predicts there will be a second wave of attrition, when people realise they have made poor choices in their rush to move and start looking again - more carefully - for new opportunities.
How quickly it happens will largely depend on how consultants and employers conducted the recruitment process the first time, he says. Critical factors will be "the care and concern that recruitment consultants give to making sure they explore [candidates'] reasons for leaving and desire in the new employer, and then the support they provide to their clients to help them attach and onboard effectively this new employee".
Where the process involves little attention to these factors, placements could fall out within the first three-to-six months, affecting the many consultants and recruitment businesses that offer guarantees.
"There's a real danger for consultants to be caught in a 'place and replace' cycle, which will very quickly become de-motivating, and also be financially a significant risk to agencies who think that their businesses have taken off."
Avoid the risk
To avoid the risk and ensure they benefit financially from increased mobility during the upturn, consultants must invest time and effort in understanding the reasons why candidates want to change jobs, Sork says.
Historically, he says, consultants focus more on a candidate's 'want' list, and neglect the 'don't want'. Often the latter is "skimmed across and consultants just ask the question, 'Why did you leave where you were?' It's sometimes a bit of a superficial question so the consultant can assess whether that is going to be an acceptable reason for their clients."
What they should ask, he says, is not "Why did you leave?" but rather "What were the factors or reasons that forced you to look elsewhere? Are those factors going to be significant [if they exist] in another environment?"
"Be aware of the 'what I want' and 'what I don't want' lists - it's really important for consultants to manage this."
The next step is to work closely with the hiring manager, or the new employee's "primary carer", and help them understand the importance of the critical attachment period (the first 120 days) and how the perceptions employees form during this time will affect their level of discretionary effort and performance in the new environment.
09 February 2010 6:51am
Consultants who don't find out why candidates are leaving their jobs over the next few months increase their risk of placements who "bounce", and could lose a lot of time and income in a 'place and replace' cycle, says human capital consultant Anthony Sork.
A significant number of people are now leaving or intending to leave their employers, after many organisations "focused on results and performance to the detriment of people and engagement activities" during the downturn, he says.
A risk arises because these candidates are very much focused on their reasons for leaving their companies, Sork says, whereas in different economic circumstances they would give much more thought to what they are moving for.
Traditionally, he says, candidates have two 'lists' operating: 'why I want to be here'; and 'why I would choose not to be here'. When the first list has greater force they stay where they are, and when the balance is in favour of the second list they look to move.
The problem with candidates being so focused on reasons to leave their employer is that they will likely accept new positions that don't tick all their 'want' boxes, and they won't properly consider whether the new environment might also have their 'don't want' factors.
"In situations like that, people shift and move, and then all of a sudden... find there's two things going on. One: 'I realise now I wanted more than I was consciously seeking - there are things I'm not getting here that I would like.' And two: 'There are also things present in this new environment that I was focused on leaving in the last environment - I was so focused on getting away that I didn't pay attention to what was going on here.'"
Don't get stuck in a replacement cycle
Sork, the managing director of Sork HC, predicts there will be a second wave of attrition, when people realise they have made poor choices in their rush to move and start looking again - more carefully - for new opportunities.
How quickly it happens will largely depend on how consultants and employers conducted the recruitment process the first time, he says. Critical factors will be "the care and concern that recruitment consultants give to making sure they explore [candidates'] reasons for leaving and desire in the new employer, and then the support they provide to their clients to help them attach and onboard effectively this new employee".
Where the process involves little attention to these factors, placements could fall out within the first three-to-six months, affecting the many consultants and recruitment businesses that offer guarantees.
"There's a real danger for consultants to be caught in a 'place and replace' cycle, which will very quickly become de-motivating, and also be financially a significant risk to agencies who think that their businesses have taken off."
Avoid the risk
To avoid the risk and ensure they benefit financially from increased mobility during the upturn, consultants must invest time and effort in understanding the reasons why candidates want to change jobs, Sork says.
Historically, he says, consultants focus more on a candidate's 'want' list, and neglect the 'don't want'. Often the latter is "skimmed across and consultants just ask the question, 'Why did you leave where you were?' It's sometimes a bit of a superficial question so the consultant can assess whether that is going to be an acceptable reason for their clients."
What they should ask, he says, is not "Why did you leave?" but rather "What were the factors or reasons that forced you to look elsewhere? Are those factors going to be significant [if they exist] in another environment?"
"Be aware of the 'what I want' and 'what I don't want' lists - it's really important for consultants to manage this."
The next step is to work closely with the hiring manager, or the new employee's "primary carer", and help them understand the importance of the critical attachment period (the first 120 days) and how the perceptions employees form during this time will affect their level of discretionary effort and performance in the new environment.
Friday, February 5, 2010
With 2009 now a distant memory - though some scars still fading - 2010 is in full swing and we are starting to see great signs of increased employee mobility in the Australia employment marketplace. This wave will continue to build over Feb-April and will lead to the old but familiar cries of "War For Talent". The difference will be that talent will move, but talent may not stay for long.
I blogged last year on the 3 phases and we are now into phase 1 with phase 2 to follow at varying rates for varying employers depending on how they manage the "attachment" and on-boarding of the new talent. Phase 1 still has a way to go as though mobility has increased, there is a further intensity to come as organisations realise just how many people are leaving and just how many vacancies they have to fill. In the next few months it is likely that internal recruitment teams will be working to capacity and will have to outsource to many agencies which is a good thing for recruitment companies who have had a very tough 18 months.
You should also expect a lot of positive noise from job boards (seek has already started) and expect to hear back on the lips of executives the critical need to a good people strategy.
I for one am watching closely to see how big this wave builds. I am also interested to see the impact of the 2nd wave which will be as a result of poor retention of people who have moved in phase 1.
I have already seen a big increase in the number of companies that are effectively wanting to insure against this second wave using out Attachment Onboarding Survey Report. If you are an employee planning on moving and you think your employer should be aware of this tool then please spread the word!! If you are an employer and you want to make sure you get a Return on your recruitment investment then please contact us. Selina from my team will be able to help: selina@sorkhc.com.au
I blogged last year on the 3 phases and we are now into phase 1 with phase 2 to follow at varying rates for varying employers depending on how they manage the "attachment" and on-boarding of the new talent. Phase 1 still has a way to go as though mobility has increased, there is a further intensity to come as organisations realise just how many people are leaving and just how many vacancies they have to fill. In the next few months it is likely that internal recruitment teams will be working to capacity and will have to outsource to many agencies which is a good thing for recruitment companies who have had a very tough 18 months.
You should also expect a lot of positive noise from job boards (seek has already started) and expect to hear back on the lips of executives the critical need to a good people strategy.
I for one am watching closely to see how big this wave builds. I am also interested to see the impact of the 2nd wave which will be as a result of poor retention of people who have moved in phase 1.
I have already seen a big increase in the number of companies that are effectively wanting to insure against this second wave using out Attachment Onboarding Survey Report. If you are an employee planning on moving and you think your employer should be aware of this tool then please spread the word!! If you are an employer and you want to make sure you get a Return on your recruitment investment then please contact us. Selina from my team will be able to help: selina@sorkhc.com.au
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
HR Daily Article published 15 Dec 2009
Urge employees to switch off phones over Christmas, and return "fully charged"
15 December 2009 8:57am
Employers who want their workers to return from the Christmas break rested and "fully charged" should consider a "leave-at-work policy" for mobile devices, says human capital expert Anthony Sork.
"As we head into the holiday period it is important that managers and leaders recognise the importance for both their staff and themselves to have some real downtime to relax and recover," says Sork.
However, in an age where many people are not willing to switch off their phone before going to bed, let along on weekends or holidays, time away from the office does not necessarily mean time away from the pressures of work.
Many employees habitually answer messages and phone calls when they are not at work, says Sork. Once this pattern is established, colleagues and contacts who respond accordingly start to "dictate the agenda of communication".
"And because of the more compulsive behaviour that goes with it, they can't resist the need to respond." As a result, workers become controlled by other people's communication agenda, rather than controlling their own, he says.
Over-use of mobile devices can place strain on an employee's interpersonal relationships and impair their ability to switch off and relax when they are not at work, says Sork, who has coached three executives in the last 12 months whose "addictive behaviours with mobile devices" contributed to relationship breakdowns.
"What ends up occurring is that people are essentially in an 'always on' state. Even when they are trying to rest and relax they are being reminded by vibrations or chimes or other indications that they are still connected to their work and to their workplace, so they don't actually get any recovery time."
"The implications of that are that they are essentially getting fatigued and it has both a short-term and long-term impact on health and performance," he says.
Sork, who has compiled a list of 35 addictive behaviours in response to the phenomenon, says employees who are "essentially addicted" to their mobile devices might:
•feel isolated and disconnected without their mobile device;
•leave it on vibrate when they go to bed just in case someone needs to get in touch with them;
•respond to emails within five minutes of them being received even if it isn't urgent;
•choose to reply to emails when away from work rather than of setting an "out of office" response;
•check messages while on holidays even if "out of office" is set;
•spend more time using the device than with a partner or children;
•find that their partner uses texts to attract their attention, even when they're in the same room;
•check for messages when waiting at traffic lights;
•wake at night and feel the need to check for messages;
•answer their phone or respond to an email during their child's concert or sporting event;
•break a conversation with a loved one when a message comes through;
•get anxious if their battery is low;
•place the device on the table when out for a romantic dinner; and/or
•check for messages before greeting family in the morning.
"This is not a new phenomenon, but I think it's certainly on the rise because the number of people with these mobile devices now is increasing," he says. "So it's not just the domain of the executive any longer, it's pretty much all levels of the workforce."
Sork says that part of the phenomenon is that people simply don't realise how habitual their mobile use has become... until they try to stop. A simple test is to ask people to switch off their phone after work to find out how long they last, and how anxious they become.
"I recommend that businesses have a 'leave at work' policy for mobile devices over the holidays as many people who are indeed addicted to their devices will not have the discipline to turn them off and relax," he says.
Because many workers do not have separate work and personal phones, and some would consider a strict leave-at-work policy a breach of their terms of employment, this should be a recommendation rather than a mandate, he says.
Sork suggests something along the lines of: "We really want to encourage you to have downtime so we would like you to contemplate leaving your device behind, or ensuring you have your device off and only use it for personal use."
15 December 2009 8:57am
Employers who want their workers to return from the Christmas break rested and "fully charged" should consider a "leave-at-work policy" for mobile devices, says human capital expert Anthony Sork.
"As we head into the holiday period it is important that managers and leaders recognise the importance for both their staff and themselves to have some real downtime to relax and recover," says Sork.
However, in an age where many people are not willing to switch off their phone before going to bed, let along on weekends or holidays, time away from the office does not necessarily mean time away from the pressures of work.
Many employees habitually answer messages and phone calls when they are not at work, says Sork. Once this pattern is established, colleagues and contacts who respond accordingly start to "dictate the agenda of communication".
"And because of the more compulsive behaviour that goes with it, they can't resist the need to respond." As a result, workers become controlled by other people's communication agenda, rather than controlling their own, he says.
Over-use of mobile devices can place strain on an employee's interpersonal relationships and impair their ability to switch off and relax when they are not at work, says Sork, who has coached three executives in the last 12 months whose "addictive behaviours with mobile devices" contributed to relationship breakdowns.
"What ends up occurring is that people are essentially in an 'always on' state. Even when they are trying to rest and relax they are being reminded by vibrations or chimes or other indications that they are still connected to their work and to their workplace, so they don't actually get any recovery time."
"The implications of that are that they are essentially getting fatigued and it has both a short-term and long-term impact on health and performance," he says.
Sork, who has compiled a list of 35 addictive behaviours in response to the phenomenon, says employees who are "essentially addicted" to their mobile devices might:
•feel isolated and disconnected without their mobile device;
•leave it on vibrate when they go to bed just in case someone needs to get in touch with them;
•respond to emails within five minutes of them being received even if it isn't urgent;
•choose to reply to emails when away from work rather than of setting an "out of office" response;
•check messages while on holidays even if "out of office" is set;
•spend more time using the device than with a partner or children;
•find that their partner uses texts to attract their attention, even when they're in the same room;
•check for messages when waiting at traffic lights;
•wake at night and feel the need to check for messages;
•answer their phone or respond to an email during their child's concert or sporting event;
•break a conversation with a loved one when a message comes through;
•get anxious if their battery is low;
•place the device on the table when out for a romantic dinner; and/or
•check for messages before greeting family in the morning.
"This is not a new phenomenon, but I think it's certainly on the rise because the number of people with these mobile devices now is increasing," he says. "So it's not just the domain of the executive any longer, it's pretty much all levels of the workforce."
Sork says that part of the phenomenon is that people simply don't realise how habitual their mobile use has become... until they try to stop. A simple test is to ask people to switch off their phone after work to find out how long they last, and how anxious they become.
"I recommend that businesses have a 'leave at work' policy for mobile devices over the holidays as many people who are indeed addicted to their devices will not have the discipline to turn them off and relax," he says.
Because many workers do not have separate work and personal phones, and some would consider a strict leave-at-work policy a breach of their terms of employment, this should be a recommendation rather than a mandate, he says.
Sork suggests something along the lines of: "We really want to encourage you to have downtime so we would like you to contemplate leaving your device behind, or ensuring you have your device off and only use it for personal use."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
So What Happens Now? Post GFC Management Behaviour
I have written and spoken quite a lot lately about the impact of fear based leadership and management during the GFC. Many organisations are now in the position of having significant numbers of "Detached" employees who are present but waiting for an opportunity to leave their manager. This is a significant risk for businesses who are now gearing up to capitalise on the increased confidence in the market. They will find themselves talent short as employment opportunities and mobility increases and people start to run-away from their oppressive managers.
So what happens now?
Some organisations will just sit tight and wait and deal with the consequences in a reactive fashion. This will set them back and position them behind their competition. There will be 3 levels of organisation over the coming 12 months.
Level 1 - those organisations who have held firm to their Engagement Initiatives and have continued to focus on Manager and Leader capability and behavioural impact. These organisations will lead the charge into the new market with stable and committed workforces.
Level 2 - those who abandoned their Engagement Initiatives during the GFC and focussed on driving performance through leveraging fear and insecurity as a means for getting short term performance from their people. In this level, it will be the organisations who now realise this error and who work hard to re-build employee bonds through revisiting their Engagement initiatives and invest heavily in people growth and development. A particular focus should be given to Manager behaviour to ensure coercive or threatening behaviours are removed. In many instances the damage with any one manager will already be done and organisations in this category should look at structural re-alignment of managers where Engagement is clearly low. By be re-aligning employees or alternatively re-aligning managers, the organisation will reset the "Attachment" phase and be able to re-build Engagement levels associated with a new primary carer. I will be writing more on this approach in a future blog.
Level 3 - those organisations who prior to the GFC likely had little interest or investment in Engagement Initiatives and who are characterised by more aggressive leadership and management behaviour. These organisations have not recognised the enormous value of engaged workforces and the GFC will not have done anything but likely re-enforce this view for now. These organisations will continue to suffer from low Engagement, low discretionary effort and moderate performance. They will likely survive but be destined to forever be positioned behind the other 2 levels until they choose to embrace constructive leadership, culture and create an Engaged workforce.
What level of organisation are you working for? What type of management or leadership behaviour have you been using over the past 16 months? What are you going to do now to ensure you are building emotional commitment in your people to capitalise on the new market?
So what happens now?
Some organisations will just sit tight and wait and deal with the consequences in a reactive fashion. This will set them back and position them behind their competition. There will be 3 levels of organisation over the coming 12 months.
Level 1 - those organisations who have held firm to their Engagement Initiatives and have continued to focus on Manager and Leader capability and behavioural impact. These organisations will lead the charge into the new market with stable and committed workforces.
Level 2 - those who abandoned their Engagement Initiatives during the GFC and focussed on driving performance through leveraging fear and insecurity as a means for getting short term performance from their people. In this level, it will be the organisations who now realise this error and who work hard to re-build employee bonds through revisiting their Engagement initiatives and invest heavily in people growth and development. A particular focus should be given to Manager behaviour to ensure coercive or threatening behaviours are removed. In many instances the damage with any one manager will already be done and organisations in this category should look at structural re-alignment of managers where Engagement is clearly low. By be re-aligning employees or alternatively re-aligning managers, the organisation will reset the "Attachment" phase and be able to re-build Engagement levels associated with a new primary carer. I will be writing more on this approach in a future blog.
Level 3 - those organisations who prior to the GFC likely had little interest or investment in Engagement Initiatives and who are characterised by more aggressive leadership and management behaviour. These organisations have not recognised the enormous value of engaged workforces and the GFC will not have done anything but likely re-enforce this view for now. These organisations will continue to suffer from low Engagement, low discretionary effort and moderate performance. They will likely survive but be destined to forever be positioned behind the other 2 levels until they choose to embrace constructive leadership, culture and create an Engaged workforce.
What level of organisation are you working for? What type of management or leadership behaviour have you been using over the past 16 months? What are you going to do now to ensure you are building emotional commitment in your people to capitalise on the new market?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Get Ready For The Wave
I spoke over the past week at 2 conferences - 1 in Hamilton Island for the Recruitment Consulting Services Association of Australia and New Zealand and the Other for the Australian Engagement Conference in Sydney. At both events there was a subtle but present air of confidence from the delegates that has not been there for about 10 months or so. People were talking in a more confident and optimistic manner and the nature of the conversations were geared towards opportunities to come. This week the new job advertising figures were released by the Olivia Group and showed an increase in job advertising. Employment figures indicate a bottom in the unemployment rate and the Recruitment Industry Benchmarkiing Report shows the decline in permanent and temporary placements has stopped.
At Sork HC we are seeing first hand an increase in the willingness to invest in Leadership and Management Training and Development that has not been present for about 1 year. We have started 6 new senior leadership behavioural programs in the last 2 months with another 4 to commence before the end of the year. Our clients are talking people strategy with us and starting to now move into key talent protection mode.
Employee confidence and security has increased and "talent" is starting to move out of the survival thinking mode, into the self-actualising thinking mode.
Get ready for the wave... We are about to see a significant increase in employee mobility with people who have been clinging to their jobs, now feeling confident to let go and in some cases take a running dive into the job market. There is a Push phenomenon about to take place here which is different to what we have experienced for many years. Where before the GFC the employment market was characterised by "Pull" conditions - that is that employees were seeking employer of choice environments and were being drawn to certain companies and managers, we are about to see them hitting the market driven more from a desire to push away from the companies they have been working for during the downturn becuase of the way they have been made to feel. More on this in my next blog along with the Detachment process of employees that has already occured.
For now the question to ask is - Is my business ready? Depending on the behaviours that have been present in your leader and managers, you will either be in a high risk dangerous position, about to experience a mass exodus - Or you will be in a low risk strong position with employees who are high in Engagement and you will be ready to capatilise on this with the ability to Attract key tallent to your doors in the coming months.
For those who would like to follow me on Twitter (I am a low level user so I will not bombard you) my Twitter site is: http://twitter.com/AnthonySork
At Sork HC we are seeing first hand an increase in the willingness to invest in Leadership and Management Training and Development that has not been present for about 1 year. We have started 6 new senior leadership behavioural programs in the last 2 months with another 4 to commence before the end of the year. Our clients are talking people strategy with us and starting to now move into key talent protection mode.
Employee confidence and security has increased and "talent" is starting to move out of the survival thinking mode, into the self-actualising thinking mode.
Get ready for the wave... We are about to see a significant increase in employee mobility with people who have been clinging to their jobs, now feeling confident to let go and in some cases take a running dive into the job market. There is a Push phenomenon about to take place here which is different to what we have experienced for many years. Where before the GFC the employment market was characterised by "Pull" conditions - that is that employees were seeking employer of choice environments and were being drawn to certain companies and managers, we are about to see them hitting the market driven more from a desire to push away from the companies they have been working for during the downturn becuase of the way they have been made to feel. More on this in my next blog along with the Detachment process of employees that has already occured.
For now the question to ask is - Is my business ready? Depending on the behaviours that have been present in your leader and managers, you will either be in a high risk dangerous position, about to experience a mass exodus - Or you will be in a low risk strong position with employees who are high in Engagement and you will be ready to capatilise on this with the ability to Attract key tallent to your doors in the coming months.
For those who would like to follow me on Twitter (I am a low level user so I will not bombard you) my Twitter site is: http://twitter.com/AnthonySork
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Manager Behaviour Liability - Turning Market
Most if not all of you have come in contact with Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs". A well referred to model and one I am making reference to quite a bit lately with line managers. Most commonly in relationship to managers who leverage fear and insecurity to get performance from their people.
Though intentions may be well placed, unfortunately by leveraging insecurity and fear for a sustained period, managers will have the opposite effect. You will get short term spurts of performance from people through this approach, but soon their focus remains on the insecurity you have created and you prohibit them from achieving a state that enables Self-Actualised thinking and behaviours.
Security oriented behaviour is defensive and focuses on minimum requirements for survival. Employees who are feeling insecure because of the behaviour of their manager will just "survive" the environment they are in until another option is found. In a market that is beginning to show the signs of turning, the options are fast approaching.
The Manager who achieves sustainable high performance by creating an engaging climate in all types of economic conditions will experience retention and greater levels of performance as this market turns.
The manager who has leveraged fear and insecurity should prepare themselves for a mass exodus and a reputation that will follow them well into the future.
Though intentions may be well placed, unfortunately by leveraging insecurity and fear for a sustained period, managers will have the opposite effect. You will get short term spurts of performance from people through this approach, but soon their focus remains on the insecurity you have created and you prohibit them from achieving a state that enables Self-Actualised thinking and behaviours.
Security oriented behaviour is defensive and focuses on minimum requirements for survival. Employees who are feeling insecure because of the behaviour of their manager will just "survive" the environment they are in until another option is found. In a market that is beginning to show the signs of turning, the options are fast approaching.
The Manager who achieves sustainable high performance by creating an engaging climate in all types of economic conditions will experience retention and greater levels of performance as this market turns.
The manager who has leveraged fear and insecurity should prepare themselves for a mass exodus and a reputation that will follow them well into the future.
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