Want to become a better boss and get staffers to work harder for you in the process? Then it might be time to break some of those management rules we’ve all heard a thousand times.
Here are two rules that might need an overhaul:
1. ‘Don’t play favorites’
The common wisdom is that if other staffers realize you favor one or two folks, they’ll get upset and start performing poorly. But not so fast.
It turns out playing favorites can be the right thing to do.
The best bosses know who their best workers are. They spot talented staffers and help them grow.
But if your best people don’t know that you’ve noticed their hard work, they don’t have any incentive to keep going.
Good workers want to be acknowledged and then trained to grow into even better workers.
Best bet: Don’t over-do it. But it’s OK to let your top staffers know they’re you’re top staffers.
Spend some extra time nurturing their talents and hopefully it’ll rub off on the rest of the crew.
2. ‘Staffers must set personal goals’
Sure personal goals are important, especially in fields like Sales. But setting personal goals can also make staffers a little more selfish.
Take a look around. Are any staffers more concerned about their own projects (and their reputation), or do they care more about the overall performance of the department?
If they’re not thinking about the success of the team, it may be time to change up the focus.
Get together for breakfast or lunch and create team goals together. Ask folks to brainstorm about annual or quarterly goals for the department and then come up with ways to reach them together.
Team-goal meetings can spur discussions and uncover solutions no one ever thought of before.