Talking Talent

The real challenge for leaders in today’s world of work is to shape their own roles – before it is reshaped for them!

This means a commitment to pursuing life long learning goals, and facilitating and encouraging others to do the same. For leaders to stay ahead they must step outside the boundaries of their own organisation and competency to ensure they are informed about trends in population, the environment, technology, social contexts and the economy.

I like to apply the ‘n+1 Principle’ for myself and my staff. For every n (number of conferences attended in your own industry or competency), attend one that is outside your field, and use the information to make positive change.

Let’s clear up some myths about employee motivation.  I’ve found an excellent myth-debunking article by Dr Catherine McNamara.  Despite the important of the topic, several myths persist - especially among new managers and supervisors.

1. Myth #1 - “I can motivate people”
Not really - they have to motivate themselves. You can’t motivate people anymore than you can empower them. Employees have to motivate and empower themselves. However, you can set up an environment where they best motivate and empower themselves. The key is knowing how to set up the environment for each of your employees.

2. Myth #2 - “Money is a good motivator”
Not really. Certain things like money, a nice office and job security can help people from becoming less motivated, but they usually don’t help people to become more motivated. A key goal is to understand the motivations of each of your employees.

3. Myth #3 - “Fear is a damn good motivator”
Fear is a great motivator - for a very short time. That’s why a lot of yelling from the boss won’t seem to “light a spark under employees” for a very long time.

4. Myth #4 - “I know what motivates me, so I know what motivates my employees”
Not really. Different people are motivated by different things. I may be greatly motivated by earning time away from my job to spend more time my family. You might be motivated much more by recognition of a job well done. People are not motivated by the same things. Again, a key goal is to understand what motivates each of your employees.

5. Myth #5 - “Increased job satisfaction means increased job performance”
Research shows this isn’t necessarily true at all. Increased job satisfaction does not necessarily mean increased job performance. If the goals of the organization are not aligned with the goals of employees, then employees aren’t effectively working toward the mission of the organization.

6. Myth #6 - “I can’t comprehend employee motivation - it’s a science”
Nah. Not true. There are some very basic steps you can take that will go a long way toward supporting your employees to motivate themselves toward increased performance in their jobs. (Read more about these steps.)

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With an estimated 62 per cent of drug and alcohol abusers in Australia in full-time employment, equating to 300,000 Australian workers, the effects of drugs and alcohol represent a substantial source of risk in the workplace – not to mention diminished productivity.

It’s hard to measure the full economic cost, but the expense of absenteeism, injuries, health insurance claims, loss of productivity, employee morale, theft and fatalities are considerable. According to America’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information alcohol and drug users:

• Are far less productive
• Use three times as many sick days
• Are more likely to injure themselves or someone else
• Are five times more likely to file worker’s compensation claims.

One survey found that nine per cent of heavy drinkers and 10 per cent of drug users had missed work because of a hangover, six per cent had gone to work high or drunk in the past year, and 11 per cent of heavy drinkers and 18 per cent of drug users had skipped work in the past month.

What can employers do?

The best approach is a pro-active approach.  While some companies are going as far as banning Friday night drinks, you don’t need to be so draconian.  There are two simple things you can do:

• Ensure your company has drug and alcohol policies in the workplaces and
• Guide employees towards services that help them with the drug and/or alcohol dependency problems.

Develop a workplace culture by educating your workers to be prepared to encourage each other to remain sober at work.

Ensure your employees are aware of the need to refer incidents likely to pose a safety hazard to their supervisor and if the problem is ongoing to the chairperson of the OHS committee.

Publicise the workplace policy and provide a suitable information and education program for all your staff.

Substance dependencies can constitute disabilities, lawyers warn. As such, it is important to make carefully considered decisions about disciplining affected employees.

The race has never been more intense to acquire, develop, and retain long-term client relationships as the e-business evolution continues to redefine corporate models.

The last 10 years has spawned such buzzwords as: customer-centric, customer loyalty and client relationship management. While many companies are ‘customer-centric’ as a core value, I know of few that have ‘partner-centric’ as a core value.

And yet, partnering has proven to be one of the most powerful business tools for dealing with fast changing markets, technologies and customers. As the global economy speeds up, partnering is becoming the weapon of choice for today’s successful competitors.

There are, of course, many variations in partnering arrangements, from informal arrangements, through teaming agreements, outsourcing and joint ventures. Partnerships exist within and between industries and sectors – and are crucial in Australia’s highly competitive recruitment sector.

Being part of a globalised economy means doing things faster, cheaper and at world’s best practice. In order to be successful it is no longer enough to work within an organisation, we need to think outside in and develop relationships with key partners.

Variety is the spice of life - however sometimes that ’spice’ leads to a burning sensation!

When team diversity isn’t managed appropriately, the result can be a recipe for disharmony, isolation and disengagement.

The key is to consciously recognise the divergent cultural orientations within your team and make active plans to work with it.

Let’s look at an example.  If my cultural orientation is to have ‘fierce’ conversations that are direct and straight to the point, as a manager I risk offending someone from a cultural background that prioritises passivity, or that values harmony above conflict.  On the other hand, if I am ambiguous I may not be clear in communicating my expectations around tasks and outcomes.

Assessing the suitability of direct versus indirect communication styles is just one aspect of working in a multicultural environment. Others to consider include family commitments and the way people perceive time and money.  For more information, have a look at this free cultural orientation assessment.