Editor's Note:
Business works best when employees and employers work together for
the good of the company. Employers who recognize that their
employees are their most important asset keep them in the loop,
make them part of the company and don't treat them as an
expendable tool.
Developing people
power in your employees does not reduce your authority or your
level of control in management. Employee people power means
that your employees can participate, that they are appreciated,
and that your employees know where the company is going so they
can be a part of the team.
Five Steps to Increase the People Power in Your
Business
by: Jan B. King
Take some bold steps and help your employees and business
partners open up to real change and help them start thinking again
to the longer term. Send a message that you are ready to commit to
new ways of thinking and that that includes a commitment to the
success of your employees in the changing workplace.
1. Reconsider your company vision.
A vision statement uses the future to help analyze the present.
It must have a message that everyone from the CEO to the
receptionist to your freelance workers can understand and put into
practice daily. Vision is the match that lights the fire of
potential in people. To do its job, a vision must be long-term,
meaningful in a human context and appeal to a higher purpose. Make
several drafts of your vision and circulate them to people who’s
opinion you value inside your company and out.
Ask yourself and others these questions:
Does our vision lead to action?
What will your customers be looking for from your company?
Can you live with this vision? Are you willing to act in
accordance with it even if times get rough?
2. Devote more time to the management of people power.
People issues only seem to capture our full attention during
times of crisis. Give them the time they deserve by setting up
regular monthly staff meetings to discuss HR issues only.
Try this exercise: Managers rate the effectiveness of each
employee on a simple scale from one to ten. Employees you rate 4 or
below are clearly not making it in your workplace. Take action to
move them within the company or help them move out of the company
within the next 30 days. Employees you rate 8 or higher should have
ongoing leadership development plans - they are your superstars.
Spend more time with these people than any others. Make sure they
know how you think about them and put them in coaching programs to
be sure they continue to develop.
3. Start a 360 degree performance review process.
Have employees reviewed not only by their supervisor, but by
their peer group as well. Make these reviews optional for the first
year, but mandatory for employees who want to be considered for
promotions.
A Caveat: It takes at least 6 months of preparation to introduce
a 360 degree review process effectively. Show employees the
evaluation materials you intend to use up front. Train employees how
to accept negative feedback by giving them a system to take it in
and process it before reacting. Also train employees to give
feedback that is work-related and objective with factual examples
not feelings.
4. Have the employees review the company.
Ask employees to hold the company up against its own standards.
Do this survey annually and check the trend over time.
Ask yourself and others these questions:
Does the company walk the talk of its vision and values? Are
management employees role models for ethical behavior? Do you take
short-cuts with safety? Do you encourage honesty in reporting or do
you shoot the messenger?
5. Create action plans for each individual tied to your vision.
Make a direct connection between employee actions and the company
vision.
Consider this process:
1. Develop a more specific mission statement from your overall
vision, by defining your focus to what markets you are serving and
balancing your commitments to quality, value, and service.
2. Determine the factors key to your company’s success and
focus on specific, but long-term, goals in these areas.
3. Create annual corporate objectives related to your goals.
4. Have each department manager develop department objectives
derived from the corporate objectives.
5. Post the results of 1-4 and ask each employee to develop
individual objectives related to his or her department’s
objectives.
