Management capability is paramount to organisational success. Gallup studies concur that the front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees.
The best managers select an employee for talent and emotional intelligence rather than for skills or experience. They then set clear expectations and build on their own and their team members’ strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses in order to maximise performance.
The book First, Break All the Rules by Buckingham and Coffman was the first to prove the link between employee morale and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction and the rate of turnover.
The data came from 25 years of research by Gallup, looking at hundreds of thousands of employee satisfaction surveys, questionnaires and interviews.
Here are 12 critical questions, based on the book, that are linked to organizational success. There is a proven relationship between the answers to these questions and performance, productivity and profit.
- Do I know what is expected of me at work?
- Do I have the correct materials and equipment to complete my work well?
- At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
- In the last 7 days, have I received praise or recognition for my work?
- Does my manager seem to care about me as a person?
- Does my manager support me?
- At work, are my opinions and ideas listened to?
- Are the company values practiced?
- Are my co-workers committed to producing quality outcomes?
- Do I have a confidante at work?
- In the last 6 months, have I discussed my development aspirations?
- At work, do I have an opportunity to grow and develop?
Can you and your staff answer yes to most of these questions?
If not, they highlight key areas that need attention in the organization, such as clarity around expectations, channels for acknowledgement and growth, resourcing and company culture.
It’s interesting to note that many of the questions relate to basic human needs of belonging and contribution and are also relatively straightforward to fix.
