The four simple keys to great people management are:
- create a place where people want to work
- find the right people
- reward them fairly (or well!)
- keep them interested
Creating a place involves more than just providing a place to work. It requires determining:
- the values of the business – what is important to you as a business owner and leader, what will you and your business stand for;
- the type of people you want working with you;
- what you will do to attract the best people AND keep them.
The work that you put in to determine these factors will pay off tenfold in the long term – so give it some thought and plan how to make it happen. Finding the right people can be challenging. Where do you find them? How do you know that they will be as good in reality as on paper? What skills do they really need? Firstly, determine the specifications of the role. Does it require someone who pays attention to details or a visionary who is more concerned with the big picture? Someone who is flexible in their hours or more rigid? Someone who puts their head down and gets the job done or someone more outgoing who could sell ice to Eskimos?
Then list the skills, experience and qualifications that they will require.
Look at career websites for similar positions, find an ad that you like the wording on and change it to suit your requirements. Think about where that kind of person would go to find a job – the internet (if it’s an office job), the newspaper (if it’s a trade job), recruitment agency (if it’s specialised), the local café or even a sports club. Place your ad and put the word out that you’re looking for someone great. Remember to ask internally too. Someone may be able to entice a former colleague to join your team. Rewarding people fairly is the simplest thing to do, but it’s also really easy to get it wrong by assuming that you know what they
want.
Some tips:
- NEVER give something and then take it away (unless you want them to quit)
- ALWAYS be fair, open and honest
- ASK what they want if you want to give them a bonus. A $500 shopping voucher may be far more rewarding than an expensive weekend away if they are short of cash.
- Keep people interested – talk to them and find out what they want from their job and their career. This can be done over lunch or in a formal performance appraisal. Find out what they love about work, what they love in their life and see what you can do to accommodate them within the scope of their job and your business. If they perform well, it’s worth keeping them, nurturing and rewarding them.
It’s far easier to keep great employees than to find new ones. Value them and they will value you.
For more information or an obligation free consultation contact Justine Bennett Consulting on 0413 873 288 or [email protected].