Ask anybody who has done it, and invariably, the answer is “managing people”.
I’ve heard it compared to running a kindergarten or herding cats – neither of which sounds like fun.
For many years, I would have answered the same: managing people is hard!
But then something changed – one day, I realised that I had the perfect mix of perfect people. And once you get that mix right, you will never look back.
But how do you get there in the first place?
My journey was part management, part happy accident.
Many years ago, I adopted the mantra, “employ really great people, then let them do what they are good at”.
This flies in the face of most HR advice, which insists people must be managed. They need job descriptions and policies. They need procedures and annual performance reviews.
Here is a radical question – Do they?
What if you could build a culture of freedom and responsibility? Spoiler alert: You can.
Full disclosure: This idea came out of Netflix, and I use it because it is brilliant.
Things you will need to do:
- Treat people like adults (and obviously, they will need to act like adults).
- Communicate constantly about the good and the bad stuff.
- Practice radical honesty and be fully authentic – and expect your people to do and be the same. We all know humans hate being lied to.
- Debate the facts vigorously – you want your people to challenge each other – but in a way that encourages growth and creativity – not defensiveness and nastiness.
- Offer competitive salaries to keep your staff. Ask yourself: if they decided to leave today and you wouldn’t try to keep them, are they truly the right fit for your team?
The best thing you can do for your employees is hire amazing people to work alongside them. A great workplace is one that offers outstanding work colleagues.
Responsible people thrive on and are worthy of the freedom to do what they are good at!
“A radical take, but it works wonders for us”.
Jackie Crank
Chief Education Officer:
West Coast Property Training
26 Winton Rd.
Joondalup, Western Australia
