Consistency is the key

We had to get our house renovated and hence had shifted out to another house. I am now back to our old house that looks new!! The new windows, the fresh paint smell inspires me also to look different (read new ) . The workers pushed my treadmill to the balcony and the additional work load didn’t let me do any exercises (You are right, its an EXCUSE, excuse, excuse). I am feeling on top of the world today having got back to my not so consistent exercise routine. This got me wondering…

I know the benefits of exercise – short term and long term. I know that the only way to stay fit and healthy is regular exercise. I also know that there is no short cut to weight loss and the only proven method is to burn those calories consumed! I feel great when I exercise, my skin glows and my mind is alert and my overall composition is superb. I have known these for years and I still struggle to practice it regularly with the required rigor. This is very similar to managers in organizations who struggle to engage their team members. All of us know that the manager is the face of the organization, happy employees generate more business, engaged employees are more productive, satisfied employees don’t quit etc. I can go on and on about the advantages, but the fact is that there is only one proven method. Every single manager needs to take care of his team. No CEO can engage the entire organization!!

My job includes analyzing feedback from exit interviews for various companies and most often the feedback is about the immediate reporting manager not being supportive or not communicating effectively or not resolving it in a timely manner. Managers need to be sensitive to people issues. All it takes is that you listen, give them attention, address/ resolve where necessary and in either case communicate. There is enough evidence to prove that leaving because of manager is among the top reasons for attrition in any organization. And yet, every time we conduct a workshop, clients want one magic wand that will solve all people issues. How I wish such a magic wand existed!! Just like there is no short cut to weight loss, there is no short cut to engaging employees. As managers, we have to follow this routine every single day – listen, support, demonstrate ownership and accountability.

Senior leaders and HR teams have a moral obligation to constantly reinforce this message. There is no “NEW” method or “NEW” message. It needs to be brought into focus time and again since in our fire fighting schedules we tend to move this down on the priority list. Reiteration of the message in periodic intervals will definitely help in keeping the focus on people!!

By Ashana K