Named Q12, the survey commissioned by Gallup took six years traveling 116 countries, from Canada to Qatar, getting around 10 million interviews to finally become the book “12: The Elements of Great Managing”. Sorry for the spoiler, but the end couldn’t be otherwise: the best managers in the world are those that provide regular feedback and recognize their employees. After all, expectations are defined and need to be continually revised and clarified, and well, this is only possible with feedback and recognition. So, now is up to you: search your team. Below, I wrote some questions you can make and the answers are precisely the 12 ideal elements that measure the motivation at work and the great managing. Prepare to be impressed with how your employees feel engaged in the task management and connected both to the company’s mission and to each other:
1. How are you charged at work?
I know what is expected from me.
2. How is the infrastructure at your work?
I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job right.
3. Is your job what you most like to do?
At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. How the others deal with their roles within the company?
My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
5. Do you know the mission or purpose of the company?
Yes, they make me feel my job is important.
6. Do you have a good relationship with your colleagues?
I have a best friend at work.
7. Do you feel that people listen to you at work?
My opinions seem to count.
8. Have you had to trust someone a personal problem at work?
My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
9. Is there someone at work who inspires you to grow up professionally?
There’s someone at work who encourages my development.
10. Have you recently attended any course or training to improve yourself at work?
This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
11. How often is your work recognized?
In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
12. How long have you received a good feedback?
In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
Worldwide, the so-called “elements of engagement” 1 and 2 were detected as the most common – for no company can last long without purpose and infrastructure. In the other hand, the elements 11 and 12, evidences of recognition and feedback, unfortunately were – and still may be – the rarest to see.
Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist and co-author of the book with Rodd Wagner, makes a statement that can tell a lot about how you have been doing: “Managers often assume they give enough feedback or that people naturally know how well they are doing. Or managers assume that if they give no feedback, people will assume they are doing fine”. Just recall: do the research with your team and don’t hesitate to assume that you need a new approach, a new fellowship inspired by the exchange.
The personalized feedback (once or twice per year) and recognition (especially to the employee who exceeds his/her role) are one of the safest ways to drive team, time, and task management and it may take less time than you think. “It’s interesting that the two lowest rated elements are also the two that produce the quickest changes in organizations”, Harter concludes.
Keeping a team engaged in the task management is not about ordering them to obey deadlines, but leading them naturally to this behavior. For this, let them see their role in the company’s projects, give room to they share knowledge and provide means for them to work with organization and focus on priorities. This way it’s going to be much easier in time to give feedback and recognize your talents, right? If you agree, meet Runrun.it, the software for team management that automates the workflow of your company and all the reports you need. Try it for free: http://runrun.it
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