One of my favorite sayings is that all staff members need proper tools to do the jobs you’ve asked them to do. And then I follow up by saying that if I don’t give you the tools to do a job, shame on me. But if I do give you the tools and you don’t do it, then we’re going to have a serious talk about your future.
What are the tools that a staff person needs? Actually there are lots of them, but let me try to hit the top few:
- Time
- A staff person must know how long they’ve got to do a job
- They need your time to meet with them so they know what to do
- Knowledge
- Staff members need to come with basic skills to do a job
- They need to come with an attitude of being willing to learn new skills
- Money
- Staff members need a budget to do their job
- They need to know the organization as a whole has sufficient funds to keep going so that they are not distracted by whether or not the organization will fold
- Job Description
- All staff need to know what their job is in clearly defined terms
- The job description is also the standard by which their performance will be measured
- Praise and Criticism
- All staff need to hear positive things about their work, because those kind words go a long way in helping people feel good about themselves and their role in the organization
- All staff need to hear some constructive criticism so they realize they have room to improve and stretch; the criticism should never be demeaning but must be a way to push the employee beyond where he or she is now
- Challenges
- Humans get into ruts all the time, but that isn’t good or healthy because you can’t see very far when you’re in a rut – the routine becomes the norm
- Goals which are just beyond our grasp are good ways of making employees push and reach just a little farther than they thought they could
Give your staff the tools they need and in turn, watch them flourish. Nurture that growth and you’ll be impressed and amazed at what they can do. They might even grow so much you’ll need to promote them, and that is an excellent thing!
Lead On!