Continuing from the ideas in the previous post.

In over 25 years as a headhunter I didn’t hear the words “poor self-image” or “low self esteem”, but most people I spoke with craved a manager who would “value” and “appreciate” them; they were tired of being told how great they were, but never being included in a key project or getting a promotion. Only three times do I remember candidates actually saying at the outset of our conversation that they were working for an abusive manager, although many came to that realization as we talked about what they wanted to do and why they wanted to leave.

Valuing and appreciating isn’t about lip service and compliments, it’s about public recognition of things done well, private discussions of things not done well and how to improve them, and encouragement to grow.

It’s helping them to identify their skills and abilities, what they love and what they dislike and how to enhance the former and minimize the latter. It’s helping them understand that although the world around them might contribute, nobody has the right to define them but themselves.

If all this sounds like a lot of work remember that it’s a big part of why you get paid; and that there is nothing that you can do hands-on as a manager that will offset an underperforming group or high turnover.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 20th, 2006 at 12:55 pm and is filed under Business info, Communication, Culture, Leadership, Retention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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