Finding outstanding employees can sometimes be a Herculean task. Far too often, managers feel like the battle is over once they've placed good people in the positions they have open. But savvy managers know that this isn't the case. What you do going forward to retain and cultivate your staff is the real challenge.
Here are, in my opinion, the 10 most important behaviours a manager can practice.
- Responsibly delegate authority
If there's one thing an educated, certified tech does not need today, it's somebody micromanaging his or her every move. Let your people do their job; that's why you hired them, right? All IT managers at every level know this fact, yet there are those who still haven't let go of the reins.
If your new hire isn't cutting it, cut your losses, move on, and get the right person for the job. The cost of hiring/firing is expensive, but does it outweigh a server crash or 20 gigabytes of data being compromised? Probably not.
- Scorn in private, praise in public
This is every manager's credo, but sometimes it's overlooked or bypassed. Your people need to know when they're on track, when they're off topic, when to speak up, when to bite their tongues, and when to say when. Publicly reward those that excel, and privately discipline those that screw up.
- Rethink, review, and reward
One of my biggest concerns as a manager is: "Do my people think they're doing quality, productive work?". This evaluation strategy has enabled me to better gauge my expectations, the goals I have set for my department, and the goals my bosses have expected me to attain. Overall, this strategy has helped me to nip a lot of potential problem areas in the bud.
I employ an evaluation process in which I expect my people, and those beneath them, to do self-evaluations on a monthly basis, and, on a tertiary basis (every three months, as opposed to quarterly), I try to evaluate or review each employee as well. From this point, all projected bonuses/pay raises can be distributed throughout the year, and a single deciding factor won't stop me from advancing people who otherwise deserve the reward.
Let's say Joe is supposed to be in line for a dollar raise, and one factor decides he isn't getting it. He's worked all year longâ€"in his mindâ€"for nothing. If he's being reviewed more than twice per year, and he has received two 33-cent raises already, then the last 33 cents won't be such a letdown. Besides, he will have been recognised twice already during the year. This process has made me some enemies, but, more often than not, it has proved very effective. This tracking process keeps you tuned in to your people and leads to more effective management.
- Pay your people what they're worth
Whatever salary calculators you're using, keep your peopleâ€"at least within scopeâ€"financially content. You can also think outside of strict salary raises if that type of money isn't available, and come up with other ways to boost your team's financial happiness.
For example, one of the deals I've used is discount vacation packages. Get the company you work for signed up, and then your company can buy vacation packages dirt cheap. When your senior database administrator needs two weeks' vacation time in early spring to take the family to Disney, buy their airfare, hotel accommodations, or rental car through the company. Have "ABC Widget Company" corporate logos/trademarks splattered all over their freebie packaging. Another option is to offer a no-fee rental car if your people are having car troubles, or offer a ride in via a company van.
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