Tool Check

Have you ever used the butt of a wrench for a hammer or a butter knife for a screwdriver? I am ashamed to admit it, but I have. Recently I was engaged in a conversation with a young lady who shared a story with me about her father and his love for his tools. She said while cleaning his tools one day that he explained to her that it is important to always keep your tools cleaned and well maintained. If you do, they will always serve you well.

That got me to thinking about employees in a company and how crucial it is to take care of them. Like tools, you need to make sure they are being maintained properly. Just like it is important to select the right tools for the job, it is also critical that you select the right employee for the job. Ensuring the right fit will go a long way to making sure the job is done correctly.

In today’s economy many companies are stretching their staffs to the brink. There is so much pressure to perform that many managers forget to manage their teams to accomplish realistic expectations. Here are just a few keys to remember when leading your team:

• Employees should be able to do what they do best. Like selecting the right tool for the job, don’t force a wrench to do a hammer’s job. If the person’s strength is administration do not force them to be a sales person.
• Treat your employees well by mentoring, coaching and checking in with them to insure that they will be productive in the future.
• When you see that an employee is not performing well, don’t wait until they fail. This is the time to evaluate whether they should be in a different position to bring greater benefit to the company or whether some retraining would equip them to improve where they are.

In the current economy we are asking our employees to do more with less. It just happens to be the environment we are all living in. However, it can be counterproductive to place so much on someone who clearly does not have the capacity to do the work.

Effective leaders continue to check in regularly with members of their team to insure that that they are working to their strengths and accomplishing what they have been tasked to do. They treat their people the way they want to be treated.

Are you being used properly in your job? How many days a week do you have the opportunity to play to your strengths? Is there anyone under your leadership who may be misplaced in the job they are doing?