A college athlete once told me that he was not getting as much game time as he thought he would, especially since the assistant coaches and players were telling him how well he was doing. But when he met with the coach, which happened infrequently, the coach provided very vague and non-helpful guidance. This athlete is not alone. Many employees often feel the same way – their supervisors are not providing the help they need. It is also common for supervisors to feel a bit lost when holding individual meetings with their team members. In other words, they aren’t sure what to do. After all, most supervisors never took a class in supervising. So, what does every employee want and need from their supervisor? Here are the top seven things.
1. Support.
Sometimes we still live as though we are in the early days of the industrial revolution – where supervisors were like police running a speed trap, trying to catch the employee doing something wrong. The assumption was that employees couldn’t be trusted and therefore needed to be “watched.” (Just like the “white shirts” who sat in the glass booth high above my head in my first job at a paper factory keeping a watchful eye on us mice!) But most employees need support more than policing, and that support includes guidance, training, encouragement, mentoring, correction, and trust.
2. Focused attention.
When meeting, every employee wants their supervisor’s undivided attention. Easier said than done, though, right? Demands from customers. Finishing plans and budgets. Texts from your spouse and kids. Stress at home. These are just a few of the distractions that can result in an employee feeling as though they are unimportant and getting your leftover crumbs of time. And make sure you are consistent – these meetings should not be the first thing we cut when we get busy. So, when you meet with an employee, reduce the distractions and increase your FOCUS.
3. Crystal clear expectations.
Imagine stepping onto a soccer field and scoring a goal only to have the referee blow the whistle and say it didn’t count because he actually meant for you to play football, even though he never told you this! Sounds bizarre, but one of the most common complaints we hear from team members in a variety of organizations is, “I don’t know what’s expected of me.” While job descriptions serve a meaningful purpose in helping someone understand an overview of their position, leaders must be clear regarding what they want, what level of quality they expect, and when they want it.
4. Regular feedback.
When you go to the doctor, she gives you your results. When you take an exam, you get your score. This is called feedback, and it lets you know how you are doing. Quality feedback is input that is direct, specific, non-punishing, and connected to clear expectations. After all, it is hard to give good feedback to someone who doesn’t know what is expected of them. Some experts believe that 80% of performance problems can be resolved by a leader providing clear expectations and feedback to a team member. There is no excuse for a team leader who does not give regular feedback for both excellent performance as well as gaps. Giving quality feedback costs nothing other than a little time and courage. And remember, the best feedback is two-way, where the employee also gets to share his or her thoughts and ask questions.
5. One-on-one time.
One of the greatest resources for a team member is you, the leader. Some leaders keep their distance from employees, seldom spending regular time connecting. This social distance often results in diminishing trust, lower relational capital, fewer opportunities to influence the team members, and fewer opportunities for them to give feedback to you. In a study, John Kotter discovered that effective leaders spend upwards of 90% of their time in relational connection and communication with their staff, both formal and informal. As a supervisor, three very practical ways you can spend more time with each of your employees are formal one-on-one meetings, brief office visits, and having a meal together.
6. Recognition.
I once remember an office worker who had trouble doing her work without mistakes. Her manager’s solution was to take important projects and give them to a more competent staff member. Over a year or two, this worker was given less work, even though she was one of the highest paid! She had less and less responsibility and pressure, and the more competent worker had more and more. Who was rewarded? The incompetent worker! This is far more common than you might expect. Leaders must focus on recognizing and rewarding excellence, not incompetence. Rewards can be as simple as praise or as substantive as new opportunities or bonuses.
7. Example.
Jesus tells the story of religious leaders whose expectations of others were like heavy loads strapped to their backs, but they themselves wouldn’t even “lift a finger.” Supervisors sometimes do the same thing – it's called hypocrisy. As a leader, it is our job to model the behaviors we want to see in others. If we want hard work, model it. If we want openness to feedback, practice it. If we want collaboration, be collaborative. If we want timely delivery on projects, produce projects on time. If we want relationships, pursue them. We set the tone and create the team culture as much by what we do as by what we say. Employees learn by example, not by hypocritical behavior. So, be the example.
Contact us to learn how you can be the leader your employees need.
Jay Desko is the President & CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
