An article to get you thinking as you plan for 2010.

You pat yourself on the back because you have recruited a person who is a perfect match for the vacancy you have.  They start work and within a very short time, they disappoint you.  This happens more frequently that I dare to say.

So who do you blame, the Recruitment Agency, the HR Department, the referees?  What if I told you that you may be the problem – would you throw me out of your office – or maybe not read any further?  If you are a gardener you will know that planting a rose or vegetable patch in poor soil will not produce the best flowers or vegetables.  So also with an employee.  If you put them into a working environment where there are too many impediments to their producing their best work, they will not do so.

The January/February edition of Harvard Business Review has an excellent article entitled “What Really Motivates Workers” Anabile TM & Kramer SJ page 44).  It’s not money, it’s not a supportive, collaborative working environment – although they are important.  It is working for an organisation that is goal focused and making headway – going places.

Think about this in terms of the global economic crisis that we have been (and still are despite rumours to the contrary) experiencing.  Picture how difficult it must have been for those workers who watched the orders dry up, their workloads reduce and who correctly discerned that their jobs were in jeopardy.  They were powerless to do anything about it as they were in the hands of their employers – no not the market – their employers, the managers whose responsibility it was to develop and drive a viable organisation.  

So, this research shows what we know to be true.  The article goes on to say “managers have powerful influence over events that facilitate or undermine progress.  They can provide meaningful goals, resources and encouragement and they can protect their people from irrelevant demands – or they can fail to do so”.

Those of you who work with us will know that this is what you learn when we introduce you to the work of Thomas Gilbert (Gilbert’s Six Windows).  The research is referring to the top three windows – clear direction, resources and processes and incentives and rewards.

So the next time you are ready to employ somebody, think about not only getting the right person for the job but also what you need to do to make sure that you put that person in a working environment where obstacles are minimised and they are free to do the very best work that they are capable of producing.

Please feel free to pass this article on to anybody who you believe may benefit from it.  And please contact us if you have any questions.  

Contacts:
Shirley Tracy (027) 242 3199 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Hugh Oakley-Browne (027) 699 2063 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it