I've Been Thinking...

This month I have been thinking about people. Talented people. People who are engaged in what they do so and who out perform others. Talented people enjoying their jobs and driving performance.

September 2007

Let’s say that you have employees who do a good but not great job at work. Is it in the way you hired? Is it in the way you trained? Is it in your culture? You know that they are great people but not outstanding performers – and in today’s economy, we need every employee to be a great performer.

Let’s start with some critical background. We are in what is called the age of intellectual capital. Since much of the country’s manufacturing moved off shore, most of our businesses are now service related. Service businesses rely on relationships, understanding customers and customized responses; today, it’s a thinking economy. And success with customers and therefore with business does not happen if the employee doesn’t get the customer response just right. Customers want what they want, when, where and how they want it. Successful employees must think through each response to be sure it is the right one. This encourages significant customer relationships and customer loyalty (a topic for another newsletter).

So what makes an employee successful in this new economy? First we need to understand that all employees are unique and that each has a blend of talents. Talents refer to our natural abilities…to the way we think and process information (the hardwiring in our brains).

As we developed, our brains developed millions of neurons (brain cells). In the process, each of these neurons (100 billion) started connecting with others creating an incredible number of synaptic connections (brain sparking). Some of these connections were strong and some were weak. And over time, the brain allowed the weaker connections to wither, allowing the strong ones to remain. What was left was a unique pattern of brain responses – unique to each of us. This becomes the way we process information, the way we think and identifies our talents (strengths). Studies indicate that during a day, we make 20,000 3-second decisions. Each of these decisions pass through our heads, relying on the way we process information. If our jobs require us to make decisions that are not in line with the way we think (our talent areas), imagine how incapable we will feel; this will impact our connection to our jobs and to the quality of our performance. And the opposite is true…if we feel capable, we feel a connection to our work (we like it and we perform better). All that in the way we think and how they are connected to our talents.

Here is what I mean. Let’s say that you have a very analytical employee, focused on getting things done right. This person sees the world in bits and bytes, watching details that others do not see (the way that he thinks). And, we also have a very empathetic, caring and understanding employee who relates well to people (the way that he thinks). Which do you think would be better in a retail environment? If a customer comes into a store and the analytical person is working on something, he may not even look up and acknowledge the customer (bad for relationship building). This does not indicate that we have a bad employee …it is just that this employee’s brain does not spark in a way that would make him notice the customer – many times even when reminded by a manager.

Now picture the empathetic or more social employee. When he sees a customer come in, he does not need to be told to go and greet the customer. It is part of his hardwiring in his brain…interacting with customers is a natural for him and the possibility for a strong customer relationship has started. One of these is better for the job than another based on their natural hardwiring.

So why do we have poor performers? Most of the time it is because we have employees in the wrong roles (great people, wrong job). Understanding talents is the key to placing the right employee in the right job. And when they are properly matched, you are on your way to creating a highly engaged and excited employee who performs well because they are working in an area that matches the way they think. And in a thinking economy, thinking is our key to success

For more information on talents, Check out Marcus Buckingham’s book, First Break All the Rules or Tom Rath’s book StrengthFinder 2.0. Check out my resources page and program page for an overview of my SuperEmployee program and my keynotes related to employee performance. Understand how to drive performance…build the culture and match the employee’s talents to their role. I can help show you how.

Your Tools

Humanetrics wants you to think your way to success. To help you with this we introduce our Success Formula process and worksheet. It is a way to get you thinking about what you want and then give you the tools to get it. Some of our tools are all about you…and the work you need to do on your own. Some of our tools are about us and the things we can do for you - but only when you are ready. So click on the Success Formula to start your thinking in a new and bigger way. And then contact us when you are ready to push your thinking, responses and understanding to a power. I think, therefore I can (succeed).

Performance Tips for The Month

Buy the StrengthFinder 2.0 book and go on-line to take your talent survey. Assess your own talents then start the process with your employees.
Give an employee the opportunity of changing one aspect of his/her job this month. Giving him/her a voice and modifying a job can be very engaging.
Select one role (job) and define the talents (natural thinking) that make someone successful in this role. Analyze to see that those who are in the role have the right talents.
Do a job satisfaction survey this month. Find out what employee really think of their jobs.
Do a little research on the term “job sculpting” – this is the process of customizing jobs by employee talents. This will be the key to long term performance.
Watch the daily blog on www.humanetricsllc.com for more conversations about employee engagement and company performance.