When you want to help your teams be happy: Part 2: 4 other things to start doing
Managers play a critical role in goal setting and achievement, team focus and motivation, business success, and even the general well-being of each team member that reports to them. There is certainly a balance as to how many managers an organization should have. I have seen organizations where they had too few and those where every 1-2 employees have a manager, which may be a bit too many.
The role of the middle manager seems to be a little under fire today with some organizations trying to flatten their organizations by removing management layers. Layers for layers’ sake certainly can impede performance and decision-making. But, the right number of layers and managers can enable results and provide employees with the personal attention they need to help the company be successful.
Those managers in the middle need their own care and feeding, which is the subject of my book, Succeed from the Middle, and the subject of many of my blog posts. Next week's post will be about how senior leadership can influence and inspire happiness among that higher-level, middle layer.
So, for any organization questioning if they need managers and how many, here are what your managers could be doing to help spread engagement, productivity, and dare I say it, happiness, among your teams.
Building on last week, where we talked about some of the smaller things managers can do to help, here are four more that we may not always think about, but have a direct line to influencing how happy and engaged people feel in their work.
Be clear on priorities.
Nothing helps people feel more confident and self-assured than clarity. There are a few people who love ambiguity and do well with it, but for most of us, we crave clarity. If we don't have it, we go looking for it or try and create it for ourselves. I talked about a manager's role in removing obstacles last week; the other top action for managers is to provide clarity. And, if the manager doesn't know, it is their job to seek it out for themselves and their teams. Clarity matters in terms of purpose, mission, values, goals, responsibilities, behaviors, and more. This can be hard because life and work can sometimes be that ambiguous gray, but we all should strive to make things less gray and more apparent.
Show how they connect to the bigger picture.
Speaking of clarity in purpose, people crave knowing how they fit in. Our sense of belonging to a group or community is very strong. We all feel a need to belong somewhere and to make a difference in whatever context matters to us. Managers have a key role to help their team members know how they belong, how they fit, and how they can impact or influence the bigger picture, like the mission, purpose, and strategic goals. Holding team and individual conversations about how we support and affect the bigger picture can help with engagement and happiness. A quick road to feeling stuck, in a slump, disengaged, or even unhappy in your job, is not knowing why you are doing what you're doing and not knowing how you are making a difference.
Spend time on coaching.
While I have written about this many times, it is worth repeating. Managers are coaches. I know many managers who don't think they can or should coach, but this is exactly what managers need to do. Coaching as a concept can seem intimidating, but at its core, coaching is carving time to ask good questions. Through questioning, you are helping your team explore two things that matter: 1) Their performance on the job: what went right, what went wrong, what could they do differently, how can they develop to improve their performance, and how can they mentor or teach others on what they excel in. 2) Their career and future growth: where they want to take their career, what skills and experiences they need to fill any gaps, and what other development options they can engage in to get to where they want to go.
Take notice.
Finally, take notice. I phrase it this way because inspiring engagement and happiness do not have to be something huge, like a monetary bonus (although I don't know anyone who would object). Taking notice can be sending a thank note, acknowledging someone in a team meeting, giving an award, or celebrating success as a team by giving time off or holding a party. It can also mean providing someone an opportunity to go to a conference, serve on an important cross-functional team, mentor others, or invest in them in terms of education and development. The list goes on and on. The key here is to find out what type of "notice" matters to them and to try and make that happen. We also should consider acknowledging even when something doesn't work out but the person showed initiative and innovation or took a good risk.
Managers may feel that they have a big burden to carry. These actions and the four in last week's blog can feel daunting. We just need to be mindful of them and try and weave them into everyday work life. They don't need to be huge or take a lot of time. These actions are really about building solid relationships with our team members and providing clarity, removing obstacles, and providing some personal attention to communicate, coach, and connect them to the bigger picture.