Do You Know How Talented Your Employees Are?

Contrary to popular belief, employees are human beings too.

That’s the message that I often share with managers and executives as we discuss creating energy in an organization. We believe that positive, productive energy is created through the intersection of a company’s culture, its leadership style, and the employees’ expectations. In general, we find that companies think a lot about leadership and how they as individuals can improve their leadership techniques. They talk a lot about the company culture, but don’t do anything to really identify what culture they want or even what culture really exists in the organization. But, when it comes to employee expectations, there is neither a lot of thought, nor a lot of talking.

In fact, when it comes to employee expectations, there is a whole lot of nothing.

Even companies that are “employee friendly” have a tendency to focus on making their environment open and accessible, but forget that, as human beings, employees have needs that must be met. Or said another way, employees have needs that, when met, can have a very positive affect on the bottom line.

What kinds of things do employees want?

Well there are a lot of things. And what they actually want can certainly vary from employee to employee. But one thing that all employees want is to be able to display and use their talents on the job.

Think about this. There are some things in life that you are really good at and that you really like doing. The more you can do of the things that you like and are good at, the better your results will be and the happier you will be.

The same is true of all of your employees. They have things that they are really good at, really talented at, and they want to do those things every day in their job.

Now, before I go any further, let’s pause and get real. If you are managing software development and one of your key employees is a talented sculptor, this does not mean that you should try and find a way to have them sculpt on the job. It does mean that every person has multiple talents and you should try and match their most relevant talents with the things you need to get done.

The only way to really tell what employees like to do and are talented at is to ask them. When you do this for the first time –actually sit down with an employee and ask them what they are really good at and like doing that could be applied to the job – you will truly be amazed at the results. It will likely start with a deep sense of mistrust or disbelief, especially if you’ve never shown any interest in your employees before. But you will soon uncover a plethora of talents and skills that you never new existed in your organization. And, you might well find yourself reassigning responsibilities based on the talents that you never knew existed.

Identify the talents of the people who work for you and find a way to put those talents to work in your organization and you will not only make your employees happier, but you will get a better quality result and improve your profitability.

At ECI Learning Systems LLC, we are dedicated to helping companies get the greatest return from their most valuable asset: their employees. We work with you to align 3 key organizational factors:
• Your Company Culture
• The Leadership Styles of your key managers
• The Expectations of your Employees

When these 3 factors are aligned, you create an energy in your company that improves productivity, reduces absenteeism, increases creativity, and positively impacts your bottom line. Contact ECI Learning Systems LLC today to get your free Workplace Evaluation.


Until next time.....

Dave Meyer
ECI Learning Systems, LLC
http://www.ecilearning.com/