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You manage people. People who are paid to do a job. But if it is ‘just a job’
to them, you’ll never get their best. If they come to work looking forward when to go home again and do as little as they can get
away with in between, then you as their manager are doomed to failure.
On the other hand, if they come to work looking to enjoy themselves, looking to be stretched, challenged, inspired and to get
involved, then you are in with a big chance of getting the very best out of them.
Trouble is, the jump from sluggish to super team entirely comes down to you. It is you that has to inspire them, lead them,
motivate them, challenge them, get them emotionally involved.
This is not an easy challenge. The good news is that getting a team emotionally involved is easy. All you have to do is make them
care about what they are doing. And that’s easy too. You have to get them to see the relevance of what they are doing, how it
makes an impact on people’s lives, how they provide for the needs of other human beings. How they can reach out and touch people
by what they do at work. Get them convinced – because it is true of course – that what they do makes a difference, that it
contributes to society in some way rather than just lines the owner’s or shareholders’ pockets, or ensures that the chief
executive gets a big fat pay cheque.
And yes, I know it’s easier to show how they contribute if you manage nurses rather than an advertising sales team, but if you
think about it, then you can find value in any role and instill pride in those who do whatever job it is.
How to prove it? Well those who sell advertising space are helping other companies, some of which may be very small, reach their
markets. They are keeping the newspaper or magazine afloat as it relies on ad sales income, and that magazine or newspaper
delivers information and/or gives pleasure to the people who buy it (otherwise they wouldn’t, would they?).
Get them to care because that’s an easy thing to do. Look, this is a given. Everyone deep down wants to be valued and to be
useful. The cynics will say this is nonsense, but it is true, deep down true. All you have to do is reach down far enough and you
will find care, feeling, concern responsibility and involvement. Drag all that stuff up and they’ll follow you forever and not
even realize why.
Oh, just make sure that you’ve convinced yourself first before you try this out on your team. Do you believe that what you do
makes a positive difference? If you’re not sure, reach down, deep down, and find a way of caring . . . |
