Most managers have bad habits. I dislike generalizations but I rarely see a manager who has it all together. They often talk big but then when I observe what they do and do not do - It becomes apparent they and their team are not performing the way they should be.
Many managers need to be fired for lack of performance or at minimum retrained.
Following are three bad habits managers have that will eventually get them fired.
-
Hiring the wrong people for the job.
-
Failing to properly communicate to the employee team member what activities and results are expected of them.
-
Failing to hold the employee team member accountable for doing the job.
I am sure you are thinking, "I could not agree more, Chris, I know some people who should be fired for destroying the bottom line." Most people are in denial when it comes to their performance - they deny they are under-performing.
Chances are you are fooling yourself right now by thinking this post applies to others - not you. I recommend you act as if this post is exactly about you. Take action.
Let's dig deeper. Complete the following quick assessment to identify where you are likely in trouble.
Pre-employment personality profile:
Do you carefully select talent based upon their ability to do the job well using a validated personality profile compared to a job benchmark?
Most people do not - they use their "gut intuition". Your gut intuition works wonderfully... if you wake up in the middle of the night and believe there is a burglar in your home. However, studies show that gut intuition is horribly ineffective during the hiring process.
Use a validated personality profile for every hire. You will be better positioned to on-board, coaching, and expect performance from a high Job Fit new hire.
Employees must know what is needed to do the job well:
Do your employee team members know what they are supposed to be doing on a day-to-day basis? Do you score-card for performance - ensuring the right things get done or are employees "trusted" to do what needs to be done.
Most managers trust their employees to do what they believe needs to be done. Unfortunately, low job fit employees often do what they want to do rather than what they should be doing because they are not held accountable for performance.
Begin score-carding today. Identify the top 3-5 key accountabilities of each position and identify the activities, objectives, and results which are needed so you can say, "These Accountabilities are completed."
Employees must be held accountable for their performance:
Do your employee team members expect to be held accountable for what they do or do not do?
Average managers say, "I trust my team to get the job done."
Smart, strategic managers say, "I trust my team to get the job done and I verify that the right things are done."
Do not rely too much on trust. Most managers feel that they either should not have to monitor what employee team members accomplish or that they are "micromanaging" by requesting evidence that the job is actually being done. Smart managers build accountability into their systems - it is an automatic activity to periodically report on what has been accomplished and to receive feedback from management on how to "course correct".
How did you do? Chances are you are missing two out of the three or all three altogether. If so, it is a matter of time until you are removed from your job.
Lucky for you, today is a good day to turn that around.
Check out these other great posts on the topics of talent selection and accountability:
