Employees Don’t Leave Companies; They Leave Their Managers

NOTE:  I've made this headline statement hundreds of times over the last ten years.

Employees want managers who will provide goals and direction, feedback and coaching—and who recognize and reward them for good performance. Yet research indicates that managers are not delivering on these expectations. One possible reason is that managers’ roles are not designed to focus on managing people. Most managers spend 90 percent of their time on technical and administrative tasks and only 10 percent of their time on activities related to managing and developing the people who report to them.

    There is a wealth of research indicating that management behavior is a key factor in retention. This is nothing new. Recent research has consistently shown that dissatisfaction with one’s manager is a top reason for leaving the organization.

    More recently, three different research studies and examined the factors that predicted whether employees would stay with or leave their current organizations. These studies go back as far as 1999 and are exactly the same today in 2013.  Some of the most commonly found items predicting intention to leave were:

·         Insufficient feedback and coaching.

·         Insufficient learning and development opportunities.

·         Insufficient reward and recognition for their work.

·         Insufficient sense that their organization values them.

    Management is responsible for delivering on each of these job factors. No one else can affect how an employee feels as dramatically and tangibly as an employee’s immediate manager. The most effective managers are those who know their employees’ strengths and development needs so well that they know which assignments to give based on balancing both organizational needs and those of the employees.

    Coaching and feedback make up one area that is receiving the most attention in organizations today. Employee survey results in company after company are showing that employees want and expect feedback. Research conducted with Gen Xers tells us that this age group not only expects feedback from their managers, but demands it. The Millennial Generation is even more voracious in its need for coaching and input.

    Finally, people want to know that they are appreciated when they do a good job or put in extra effort. Good managers praise employees in ways that raise self-esteem and commitment to the organization. Poor managers just expect it all, and, as a consequence, praise nothing. What they really get is turnover, and lots of it. And then they get less productivity out of the people who do stay.

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

We Need Some Urgency In Our Managers

ONE READER ASKS:  I have noticed a big difference among our managers. It is not so much the varied technical skills or level of confidence but different senses of how quickly to move on a project or issue. Do you have any comments on this subject?

This sense of urgency you mention does make a difference in how effective you can be as a manager or sales professional. Certainly, a manager who presses ahead and gets the job done quickly will be viewed favorably by his/her constituents, other managers and the client. The sooner a solution is presented and implemented, the sooner a company can improve its effectiveness in the area in which demands the most attention. A manager who is a true leader bringing a sense of urgency will move faster through diagnosis, solution and implementation and encourage the staff to do the same.

However, remember that speed is not everything. Don't move so fast into a solution that the team is left behind. Many of us have solved the problem (or at least so we thought) on the first day and were anxious to implement the solution. But, unless a team wants and commits to a “buy-in” of a turnkey solution instead of mere advice on how they can address the issue, you do more harm than good by rushing.

Once you have the lay of the land in an engagement, discuss with your team and/or client what functions, processes and people are likely to be the "rate limiting step" of your implementation process. It might be information management, or staff scheduling, or approvals. Agree with your team(s) which ones are worth waiting for and which ones hinder rapid results. With this mutual understanding, and recognizing that some elements of your operation may not be able to move as fast as everyone wants, you can press ahead as fast as you have explicitly agreed with your team.

Changes in a client's market or overall economic conditions do present a challenge for management and sales teams. However, if you are in a position to see how your client or market is changing, it is also a great opportunity to increase the value you can provide.

Almost every change in an organization means a change on the organization chart. Positions are added or removed. Reporting relationship are typically altered. Overall structure may be leveled or new layers added. Each of these changes presents an opportunity to provide some services to smooth the transition. Ostensibly, these changes were thought out and intentional.  However, sometimes they are made with some, but not enough, forethought.

Once you feel you have a solid grasp of the emerging situation, develop some recommendations of how your plan(s) might help the transition. Thinking at the highest level will help you better understand your needs and the needs of your team and clients and will likely let them see you in a more strategic light.
Have a safe and prosperous week.  Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Regards,

 George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC 

Is There A Pot of Gold At Then End of The Rainbow?

When is comes to sales or the business world in general, what's the secret to finding the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow"?

I wished I was smart enough to have all the perfect answers for this question.  As you might guess, there is no satisfying and complete answer to this question. One suggestion might be to closely observe the key characteristics of two types: those who smoothly surf the "ocean" towards success and those who get knocked over by every wave. What might you see? I believe the most successful professionals are those who know how to:

• See and seize every opportunity
• Save and invest wisely
• Create value for others and translate it into value for them.
• Protect their good ideas and effectively market them.
• Leverage their work and repackage it into books, seminars, speaking, etc.
• Leverage the skills of others in order to get something accomplished.
• Put their clients first and keep a close tab on their customer's needs at all times.
• Effectively promote themselves and become more sought after.
• Be more effective and proficient than most others in their field.
• Simply want it more.

How many of these things are being done by the successful sales and/or management people you have chosen to observe?

There are many things that you can do in your career to help point you in the direction of the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." One thing is fairly certain: you are in the driver's seat. Make a list of goals, actions, and directions today and stop burning or wasting daylight.   The time to act is now no matter what your career or job entails.
As always, please accept my wish for a great and healthy week.  Your questions or comments are truly welcome.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC 

Premature Elaboration

A Reader Asks;  "What is the best (or even a good) way to demonstrate the most value for your services during initial discussions with the prospect?"

We are often so eager to show how much we know that we don't wait until the client has fully explained where his or her organization is, how it got there and completely understand the issues or needs that they have. As soon as some sales people, management people and/or consultants hear a problem they think they have recognized and solved before the speaker is finished speaking.  Many times they are way too quick to show how much they believe they know because they think this is the way to the buyers’ heart.

Even when you have solved the presumed problem, you owe the client the opportunity to describe why it’s a need or an issue for the organization and the nature of the solution for which they are willing to engage you. Hold your conclusions until you have explored the issues together. Remember, it is about addressing the client's problem, not showing how smart you are. Your lights will shine bright once you put their pain to rest.

The title of this tip says it all. Not that every analogy is appropriate but initial sales -client conversations can be considered like dating: show exceptional respect, listen more than talk, and think longer term.

Have a tremendous week and remember that your comments are always welcomed.  Call or write if I can be of any assistance.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC 

Why Does The CFO Continually Fight Us?

A READER ASKS:  We are truly a sales driven team of tangible big ticket items.  We are constantly coming up with new or improved methods to differentiate ourselves from the competition.  But our marketing and sales plans seem to continually get hijacked by the finance department, who focus on daily or monthly data and not long term goals.  How do we get over the CFO’s wall of resistance? 

There is little doubt my answer to this multi-company corporate problem will probably bring a touch of anger from our readers within the finance arena.  Although we’ve all got an intricate place in the company structure, I continually state that companies should be managed by a management team that tends to lend itself to the sales side.  However with that said, Performance Management Systems can be developed and deployed to help win over the finance men and women.

Performance measurement systems are affected by the very culture of the group designing and using them. There is nothing wrong with a financial reporting system, but this should not be confused with a performance management system. The latter is intended to guide an organization to results. The finance function, however, is embedded in a culture of risk avoidance and control. The effect of that perspective is to focus on process, accuracy of predictions and variance with expected data.

How much variation in month to month results is typical for your industry? Are long-term trends heading in the right direction? Does your executive team have evidence that past variance with plans is a good predictor of failure to meet goals? Is there a basis to believe this is the case now? Is the finance function being given undue influence over business operations? Remember, accounting is a trailing indicator and, while a provider of important data, it is a supporting function and should not be confused as a business driver.

Discuss with your finance group about a performance measurement system designed for your specific culture, perspective and the impact each department will have on providing data and interpreting that data. Talk about how decisions will be made if one set of data is well outside of expected predictions. How are accountabilities to be set, i.e., how much allowance is appropriate for variance and who is accountable for "fixing" that variance? Have these conversations during the design phase and it will help reduce conflicts with regard “a number” rather than measuring progress against long-term organizational objectives.

As always, your comments are welcome.  Please accept my wishes for an outstanding week!  If we can assist in any way, call or write and we will respond immediately!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC