How to close the gap to re-engage and motivate your employees
There seems to be a common problem coming up among leaders of small organizations and big corporations alike. It would be easy to blame the differences: between generations, culture, and opinions; to point the finger at something outside of you.
But for those willing, wanting, and choosing to lead, this is the opportunity to lean in. To look at things a different way. To check-in with who you are being and step up to the challenge of truly making a difference in someone’s life.
Managers and leaders across organizations are finding employees to be disengaged, removed, and all together detached from their work and their career progression. While it may be a lack of interest for some, leaders who are willing to listen have become increasingly aware that it’s a result of a communication barrier. A neglected relationship. A lack of trust. As a result, employees' perception of what’s possible is limited, or fixed. It’s the old adage: “we don’t know what we don’t know.” People are stuck in the thinking that the only direction is the one they’ve seen others follow, or the one they think their manager wants to hear. They see their work as something they should be doing, not what they want to be doing, and that there is no other option. No wonder managers are left wondering why employees aren’t motivated, why they don’t want to progress in their careers, and why they don’t want more for themselves…
Because everyone is focused on the big hairy scary thing that’s getting in the way: Assumptions.
Leaders are making assumptions about what motivates their employees. They’re making assumptions about why people show up to work. And they’re making assumptions about what the next step, the next level, or the promotion looks like for their team members.
But have you stopped to ask your employees what it is that they truly want and why? Rather than putting on them what you think they should do? There’s an opportunity to shift the conversation to what’s possible and what lights them up; to better understand why they show up to work and what they want from their work. It is likely that happiness and fulfillment rank at the top of employees’ lists, but the definition of what that looks like will vary from person to person. After all, we’re all individuals: we all have individual goals, individual strengths, and an individual purpose.
When you open up this discussion, you’re also opening up the possibility for a new path in their career. What we think we want often conflicts with what we truly want because we don’t know what’s available to us or how to go about getting it. If there is a misalignment in a current role, the immediate reaction may be to allow them to suffer. To allow those that are underperforming to fall by the wayside and hope that they just give up and quit. That is the opposite of leadership. The opposite of culture. The opposite of trust. Don’t manage them out of the business.
Instead of focusing on what is not working and what employees are not doing, embrace the opportunity to open up the discussion and listen to what is working and more importantly, what is missing.
It’s not to say that working hard, trying something new, failing, and starting again doesn’t develop grit and resistance, but why not guide that person to experience that in a way that feels supported and guided rather than them feeling like they’re falling off a cliff? Be in their world and find the grey in between good/bad, right/wrong, promoted/fired - all while being empathetic and authentic in your approach. A good leader knows how to be thoughtful and intentional with their employees as well as with the business.
It’s imperative that we create the space, the conversation, and open our minds to what we might be missing. What you want for someone else, might not be what they want for themselves. This is the number one mistake I see managers make: You can’t want something for someone else. You can’t want someone to be motivated. You can’t want someone to work harder. You can’t want someone to be successful. You have to take the time to understand their definition of success and what’s keeping them from obtaining it. Remember: listen for what’s missing. Don’t assume that their idea of success is the same as yours. It may be metrics driven, or values driven, and it is your job to help close the gap between their contribution and what drives them; to encourage them to be critical thinkers, to be curious and to commit.
Leaders: this is your opportunity to change someone’s life, to make an impact, to move the needle. This is your opportunity to have a different conversation, one in which you’re in their shoes, where you show up with empathy, compassion, and honesty. Grit and determination, hard work and productivity, don’t have to exist in a different domain. When you integrate these qualities into who you are, and as a result how you show up as a leader, you move away from assumptions and towards aligned action, ultimately creating a lasting impact.
Are you ready to accept the challenge of making a difference in somebody’s life? If you’re not sure where to start, give me a call and let’s work through it together.
Kirsten Schmidtke is a professional coach, speaker, and lover of lake life. She works with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to help them up-level their careers, businesses, and lives. Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you? Contact Kirsten to start the conversation!
