When an employee works for a company, they have essentially traded their life and their time to work for that company. Managers, for good reason, expect their employees to perform their very best each day. But as a leader, have you asked any of your employees what is really driving them? What do they really want? Do you truly understand what makes them tick? Many managers make the mistake of assuming the employee is there for all the common reasons: to collect a good paycheck, to enjoy benefits, and to maybe move up the ladder. These are just other people’s perceptions, and may or may not be what the employee truly wants.
Here’s the problem with this: by not having a clear understanding of exactly what an employee really wants, you as a leader, are falling short on bringing out the very best in that employee’s talent, their ability to perform at amazing levels, their maximum potential, and their drive towards what they ultimately want to achieve. This is the equivalent of having the fastest sports car that you could possibly imagine ready to go, only you can’t find the keys to turn it on.
Think about that for a minute. The car is the employee. The keys to the car is your understanding as a leader as to what makes that employee tick. It is your understanding of where they really want to go. What they really want to do. How much money that they really want to make. Why they really show up for work each day and perform at the level that they do. When you “find” the keys to the sports car, the engine can be turned on…
The more you can peel back and understand these things, the more that you can align the employee with the goals and the achievements that they so desire. By doing this, you are now truly understanding and supporting your employees with what they really want. In a way, you are setting them free. Free to follow their goals and dreams and their definitions of success and accomplishment. It would be naive for a leader to believe that his or her employees are performing their jobs and daily tasks because of the reasons that they think they are doing so.
With the above in mind, you can begin doing this by simply asking your employees a handful of the questions which I will provide shortly. Just note that it is important to understand that you must first get to know your employees well. Build trust, build rapport, talk to them daily. Support them with everything that they need. Get into their world. Take a genuine interest in their livelihood. When you have done this over the course of some time, in a relaxed, informal way, you can then ask your employees what do they really want to get out of their work. How much money would they like to be making. Ask them if they want to move up the ladder or if they have other plans. Understand what is driving them.
You will be very surprised with what you hear, and that is a great thing. You will also be surprised at how willing most employees will eagerly tell you what they really want. It is as if a giant relief just occurred because the employee is most likely thinking, “finally, someone actually cared enough to understand why I do what I do and what I really want!” As a leader, you are now able to tailor a path forward for your employees that will align them to more closely getting what they want. This is how you can bring out the absolute best in people’s talent and their drive to succeed.
The act of asking employees what they really want should not be treated like some giant secret. Knowing what someone really wants in exchange for all the hours that they are working is pretty common sense to me. Yet I would bet that most leaders do not ask, or at least they don’t ask at a deep enough level. They just think their employees do the things that they are supposed to do because that is what they are getting paid for. What a giant miss!
So find the keys to start that fast sports car that is filled with incredible energy and potential just waiting for its engine to ignite. Understand what makes your people tick and watch their performance soar.
-Enjoy!