Pushing and Pulling Employee Growth
Recently I was sitting in on a company leadership meeting when the topic of motivating employees came up. One leader said he struggled with determining how hard to push an employee to perform well. When he said this, I was reminded of all the many people I had heard say they admired a person in their life because they pushed them to be better.
Encouraging employees to grow beyond their personal expectations or even abilities to meet the organizational needs is accomplished by not just pushing them by giving directives, deadlines, and a set of accountabilities. It is also accomplished by pulling them into the process by explaining the work, why it needs to be done, how the employee might benefit from doing it and asking them for ideas on how to accomplish it. It can be a delicate balance. While it’s important to motivate and challenge employees to reach their full potential, it’s equally crucial to avoid excessive pressure that could lead to stress or burnout.
Here are some considerations for effectively motivating employees:
Set clear expectations (Push): Clearly communicate performance expectations and goals, ensuring employees understand what is expected of them. Provide specific and measurable objectives that align with the employee’s role and the organization’s objectives. I have learned to not assume that people know or remember the expectations, so I incorporate monthly quality control ride arounds with key leaders.
Training and mentorship (Pull): Offer the necessary support, resources, and guidance to help employees meet performance expectations. Provide training opportunities, mentorship, and regular feedback to help them develop the skills they need to excel. I have found the mentoring structure allows people to hear critical feedback without getting defensive.
Constructive feedback (Push & Pull): As a leader, one of your jobs is to meet organizational goals, so regularly provide constructive feedback to your key leaders and employees. Highlight both their strengths and areas for improvement. Feedback should be specific, actionable, and focused on helping employees grow and succeed. I set this up as a conversation rather than a performance evaluation. Doing it this way often allows an employee to hear the constructive part of the feedback without getting stuck in the needed improvement.
Encouragement and recognition (Pull): Find time to recognize employee successes publicly and provide incentives or rewards to motivate and encourage continued high performance. Because we can live in the routine of pushing for high results, I have to intentionally plan to celebrate employees’ achievements and acknowledge their hard work and contributions when we meet our high standards.
Challenge and stretch assignments (Push): Provide opportunities for your leaders to take on challenging projects or assignments that push them outside their comfort zone. This helps them develop new skills and grow professionally, while also demonstrating trust in their abilities. Your top performers will respond in a positive way to being challenged.
Remember, it’s important to adapt your approach based on individual employee needs and preferences. Regular communication and a willingness to listen to their feedback will help you gauge the right level of support and challenge to push/pull them to perform well.
Keep growing leaders!
Jeff
