What’s your job title? Supervisor, Manager or Director perhaps? What is it that you Supervise, Manage or Direct? It’s people, your team, the staff or the employees. If you don’t have a job that has a people responsibility then you are an Administrator. Otherwise, you are a People Manager.
As you are responsible for people, and the work they do, what is your job? What it isn’t is doing the job of your people – your job is to get your people to do the job!
I’m sure you have stuff to do, paperwork, emails, meetings, all loosely involved with your people but actually just administration. That is not what you are paid to do. You are paid to get your people to do their job.
I’ve known People Managers who will do anything rather than talk to their people!
Do you know some even employ Consultants to talk for them or do Surveys?
This is a perfectly clear way of informing your people that they are not important enough for you to spend your time talking to. You wonder why the Engagement Surveys stay the same year after year!
The solution is simple – you are a People Manager so go talk to them. Talk to them in their place of work, ask about them, get to know them and show you are human. Quite quickly, you will be able to ask about their work – do they have the training, resources and help they need to do their best.
Please don’t go firing off at the intermediate managers who haven’t given the training, resources or help. Remember they are people too. You could suggest they could usefully spend some time talking to their people.
Do this for a month, you can catch up on the admin after hours, and you will be surprised at the change in your people.
Feel free to post feedback on this article with what you discover!