Understanding each individual that makes up your team is critical to your team’s overall success; realising their value and importance as a ‘part of your big picture’; you don’t have to be best friends or even friends with your staff (sometimes the saying ‘don’t work with friends’ is there for a reason). Learning what drives each of your team members will help you to work alongside them and help them to achieve fulfilment in their daily duties.
Not all are alike
You will find some people in your team are money driven (this is not a bad thing); they look for all opportunities to earn more, whether it is overtime or bonuses etc. but this is not universal. Other people are seeking to be appreciated for their accomplishments and their achievements; some a simple acknowledgement at the next team meeting gives them fulfilment.
As the leader you need to understand the ways you ‘feed’ these individuals is differently and that they are able to achieve different outcomes. If you learn how to challenge and encourage all your staff they will follow your lead more and they will achieve better outcomes for your team.
Downside
If your staff don’t feel that additional appreciation, that sense of fulfilment they soon burn out and wonder why they work for you. Yes you pay them a pay check; but so does everybody; so that is almost ruled out of the equation when it comes to personal development and feeling like you are doing a good job in the world.
As leaders we should know our team; which is why no matter what the management framework looks like there is a small ratio; you don’t need to be state manager and know all your staff by name and what drives them. Instead you should at least know your direct reports, and be able to answer those straight off without thought or hesitation.
One step further
If you are a state manager, by all means once you have the basics understood; take on more, learn about all your staff. Get to know their interests and their name, their personal backstory it will make them feel more appreciated and valued as an employee.
You want to get recognised for your position, so do they; but you can’t expect them to be comfortable to just introduce themselves and ‘demand your time’. Often they might not even know you and could walk right past you every morning.
Humility
One of the hard parts of ‘rising to the top’ is to remember your past, remain humble. We all observe Donald Trump and his ‘small loan’; this straight away is his way of trying to ‘be like the people’; but when you watch every action is he really a humble leader? Compare him to Barack Obama, this man had humility; didn’t demand people ‘submit to him’; did he have to prove his worth? He let the people say what they wanted and just got on with business.
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