Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
icon courtesy of http://artdesigner.lv/
Do you want to know the secret to getting more done? Do your employees ever seem like kids and test your patience? “But why do we do that? But why does it have to be done that way? But why can’t I try something different?” In today’s pressure-cooker work environment we are all strapped for enough time, resources – and patience. Yet patience and taking a moment to listen and answer your team members’ questions can actually be the trick for them to get more done. In return, their confidence and respect of you will grow, and they will have your back when you really need it. In this episode of the Manager Mojo Podcast, you’ll learn how to increase your MOJO and get more done!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MANAGER MOJO PODCAST ON iTUNES!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MANAGER MOJO PODCAST ON STITCHER RADIO!
YOU CAN READ THE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
I want to ask you a question. Have you ever been so busy, so wrapped up in your day and then have an employee come up to you and just keep asking question after question after question? You’re looking at your clock and you’re thinking in your mind, “Okay, I’ve got so much stuff going on. Why do we have all these questions?”
And then, when you finally got to the point, if you’re kind of like me, you looked at him and said, “Look, would you just quit asking questions and get busy?!” Have you ever done that?
Well, I know I have. I am naturally a very impatient person. I just want to get things done. I want to move from one thing to the next. And I have found that most managers are a lot like me. Most people that decide to go into management really are driven by their goals. They’re very impatient, they want to get things done and they want to do a great job.
And yet, on your team you’re going to have those employees that don’t just go off and do stuff. They have to be asking questions. So today’s topic is what do we do about that? How do we handle it?
The way we start is by first recognizing that there’s a real reality going on in business today. We truly are incredibly busy. It’s just amazing to me at how much people have on their plates. You know, it’s always been known that if you’re going into management you’re going to have to work a little extra. That’s always been just the way it is. But today I think we’ve actually gone much further than what’s normal.
I find managers who are working 60-hour weeks as a minimum and I know managers who are working as much as 80 hours a week. They’re working so many hours that they are absolutely on the edge of their capability and their endurance level. Maybe you’re in that same boat. You feel the pain. You’re working so many hours and it’s like, “What do I do now?”
Well it’s not just enough that you’re working, it’s that—I’ve also discovered that there’s another huge trend — and that is that meetings today are scheduled nonstop. There’s no time for managers to really even catch their breath. There are so many meetings going on and most of these meetings are—probably like some I’ve been in and maybe I’ll bet you’ve been in—they don’t start on time, they don’t end on time, there’s a lot of wasted time, and people who are even supposed to be conducting the meetings are late, and everybody’s looking at their cellphone and they’re trying to say, “Okay let me get a couple of emails before I’m tied up in this meeting.” And so what people are doing is they’re balancing back and forth trying to juggle stuff and get it done.
And if that’s not bad enough you also are faced with the fact that today we’re still working with fewer resources than many of the jobs required. We just don’t have enough people. We don’t have enough people to do the things that need to be done. We’re juggling all of this stuff coming at us all day, every day and what’s happening to our stress level? What’s happening to our ability to absorb? Well, it’s getting compressed. And if you’re like me and you’re naturally a little bit impatient, that makes it even more difficult. What are we going to do? How are we going to handle these things? We also have to consider the fact that we have to juggle this with fewer people, but nobody reduced our goals. Our goals are bigger than ever. And when you have fewer people it means that even the employees themselves that are working for you on your team have bigger goals now than they would have had when the resources were abundant like they were at one point in time.
So what happens is that it’s a natural event for us that the goals and the job become our focus. We keep working at those things because those are the things that are just pounding on us from all sides. We’re like, “Okay what do I do now? We got all of this stuff coming at us. I’ve got to get it done. I can’t afford to be patient.”
What that causes to happen is that our communication with our people suffers. And, I’ve got to share with you; it’s not just the team members where communication is suffering. We’re seeing it in homes as well. Those managers that are so overworked, so stressed, that are literally just can’t handle anymore things—they’re taking that stress home. They’re not able to get rid of it. And why? Because most of them are carrying laptops home and they’re working at night and on weekends. Communication is getting shorter, more brisk and more brusque. We are not able to communicate in an effective manner because we just don’t have the time that we need to think.
But I want you to consider something. Remember that what we’re doing as managers and as leaders is that we are managing and leading real live human beings. They are people. They’re not just tools in the tool box. They’re people that have feelings. They have thoughts. They have families of their own. They have stresses outside of work that they’re bringing with them to work. So when they come to you as their manager and their leader and they need to ask questions, it’s because they’re feeling stressed and they really need a moment of connection. They don’t need you to lose your cool like I often did and say, “Hey! Just quit asking questions! Go get it done!” That’s not what they need. What they need is for you to focus on their problem and on them, and give them the answers that they need. The key is that ability to focus on them.
You see, real communication doesn’t start because you’re a smooth talker. Real communication comes because you’re listening. People that are asking you questions—they know if you’re listening or not. They can tell! You can’t hide it! It’s just evident to them. You either are listening or you’re not. And when you’re not listening, subconsciously that says to them, “Go away, go away, go away.”
What we need to remember is that our employees need us to be open and to demonstrate that we care. They need to feel like we understand their situation. And as we begin to think about those things, our attitude can change. If we truly start to say, “Okay I’m going to focus on you as a person. I’m going to focus on your questions. I’m going to answer your questions fully.” When you take the time to do that and to do it with a good attitude —you’re paying attention, you’re listening, you’re engaged—let me share with you, great things are going to happen.
That employee that is asking those questions is going to feel your confidence. They’re going to feel your empathy. They’re going to feel the attention that you’re giving them. They’re going to be able to solve the problem or complete the project faster than they would have if they didn’t get the questions answered.
Here’s what happens if you don’t answer the questions. They are frustrated, irritated, their stress level has grown and they’re thinking, “Well, he doesn’t care,” or “She doesn’t care….” They’ll waste 15 minutes, 20 minutes, sometimes an hour because they don’t know what to do next. And so they say, “Well it must not be that important. Wasn’t important enough to get my questions answered, to heck with it. I’m just going to let it go.”
But when you flip that around and you’re actually spending the time, then good things begin to happen for you and for your team. And to me, that’s what’s really exciting. We’re actually able to get our work done quicker because there’s not the wasted time of frustration. We can’t afford that. We’re already working too many hours, so what we’ve got to do is be incredibly efficient. We’ve got to be able to control our emotions so that we’re not communicating in a negative way. We’re not telling people, “Hey just quit asking questions. Go get it done.” We’re saying, “Let me listen. Tell me what’s going on. How can I help? What can I do?” It begins to change the dynamic between you and your employee.
If you want to know the secret to having employees that are excited about your leadership and engaged in their job, who are ready to do things for you that they would not do for any other boss, it’s the ability for you to control your emotions, take a little time, listen, and give them the time that they need.
I hope that you will begin to think about that. If you want to be a star performer, if you want to make more money, if you want to achieve your goals, you have to remember that it’s not about you. It’s not about you at all. It’s about them. When it’s about them you listen, you pay attention, you answer their questions, you truly care about what’s happening on your team. If you do, I promise you will become the leader that others want to follow. Take this lesson today and apply it this week. Don’t wait! Apply it this week with your team.
