To Boss or Lead! That is the Question!
In today’s economy, the way we manage people is needs to be a top priority. Is it important to create a need satisfying environment? The answer is “ yes”! Do often we become wrapped up in the day- to- day operation of our business and lose sight of our most important customer, our employee. If your employee does not feel valued this feeling will be transferred to you buying customer.
Have you ever gone shopping to a retail store and been treated poorly? The person behind the counter or on the floor are more interested in talking to their friends on their cell phone than they are in serving you? Have you ever walked away feeling like that was a waste of time, nobody was even interested in me? Employees who are feeling unimportant or undervalued and have no joy or ownership in their work will do just enough work to get the paycheck, which is often minimum wage.
How often do we enter an establishment and feel like we are the number one person there? You are served with a smile and no matter how many questions or demands you may have, you are always treated with respect. It seems like such a happy place yet we know that most are working for minimum wage. So what’s the difference?
I am suggesting the difference comes down to management. In the first case the management may look like this:
1. The boss sets the task and the standards for what has to be done.
2. They usually tell the work what to do and rarely asks for input
3. The boss inspects the work
4. The boss uses coercion and punishment in order to get the worker to do the task the way they want it done.
In the second scenario
1. The lead manager engages the workers in an ongoing, honest discussion of both the cost and the quality of the work needed to be done for the company to be successful.
2. The lead manager, or his designate, shows or models the job so that the worker who is to do the job can see exactly what the manager expects
3. The lead manager eliminates most inspectors and inspections. He or she teaches the workers to evaluate their own work understanding they know their work better than anyone else.
4. The lead manager continually teaches and models for the workers that the essence of quality is constant improvement..
So often it is the system itself that creates the problems…it is management’s responsibility to work on the system. The worker works in the system. Workplace relationships are key to quality products, employee retention, satisfaction and quality customer service. Taken from the work of Dr. William Glasser .
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