WrightWay Consulting Inc

Employee Management:
From Compliance to Commitment

Author, Adena S. Wright,
CEO, WrightWay Consulting, Inc.

It is one of the major disservices of the “super(hero)” school of leadership that it suggests a leader can command all situations with the same basic gifts. --Garry Wills

You know that you hired great people – they’re smart, experienced and do exactly what is expected of them. No less. And certainly no more. Does it seem that their hearts aren’t in
their work and that they frequently accomplish only the minimum requirements of their jobs? Is compliance no longer enough? Would you like to develop a team that cares more about their jobs than just keeping them? Dare you dream for team members that consistently stretch themselves to contribute to the growth of your business?

Yes, moving your employees from compliance to commitment is possible. It requires a significant change in your team and more importantly, it may require a significant change in your leadership of the team.

“Talented people…are unwilling to contribute their creativity to directionless organizations or teams where they produce less value and receive less credit.”

– Carolyn Martin & Bruce Tulgen

Leaders encourage employee commitment when they provide staff with meaningful opportunities to contribute their talent to benefit the business and create an organizational culture that employees can believe in. This requires a shift from Traditional Management to Empowering Leadership.

Traditional Management
From Directing and doing

1. Solving it; "answer man or woman"

2. Doing it yourself; "If you want something done right..."

3. Over-directing and micro-managing

4. Arbitrarily mandating goals

5. Expecting it: "You can't do it without me"

6. Being the quality judge and jury

7. Playing the "God" role

8. Protecting turf

9. Over-dependence on detailed policies

Empowering Leadership
To: Developing and leading

1. Facilitating problem solving

2. Effective delegation

3. Helping others learn from their mistakes

4. Providing leadership for goal setting process

5. Developing technical confidence capability:"You can do it"

6. Being a quality coach

7. Supporting as a helpful resource

8. Linking team to broader organization systems: bridging barriers

9. Being tough and clear about a few key directions and principles

Business leaders can develop a committed team by creating an environment in which employees feel and act like partners in the business. Team members want to be engaged, challenged, respected, heard. They want their efforts to make a difference; to have real value to the rganization. Empowering Leaders know how to make that possible.

References

Managing the Generational Mix, 2nd Edition, Carolyn Martin and Bruce Tulgan, HRD Press, 2006; Performance Leadership: From Control to Empowerment, The Center for Organizational Design, 2006