How do you lead people to work in accordance with the direction that is agreed for your organization ?
I know of some companies that rely pretty much solely on their written Employment Agreements to ensure that employees contribute their inputs and deliver outputs which are expected of them…not really guiding their efforts until an employee steps out of line and performs at odds with their Employment Agreement. And then typically the conversation follows the formal line of: verbal warning, first written warning, final written warning…and…termination (if indeed the behavior is repetitive and/or enduring).
But hang-on a minute, what if instead the employer had:
a) Firstly provided the right type and level of education/ training to the employee at the commencement of the employee’s engagement, and
b) Secondly, provided the means by which the employee could refresh themselves of the required elements of the role throughout their tenure
…and then (heaven forbid) “talked” with the employee as/ when they had acted in a way which was at odds with their definitive role outline, to demonstrate the correct process/ procedure so that the employee could quickly get back on track doing the right thing, AND the employer had praised the employee for when they indeed displayed the right behaviours and produced results in accordance with the employer’s expectations ?
Which camp do you fall in ? Lead using fear – fear that the employee feels because they run the risk of being penalized instantly (strictly in accordance with their Employment Agreement) for inadvertently or not displaying non-compliant behaviour, or do you instead lead through providing education, encouragement and praise ?
In short, do you look to “control” peoples’ actions through using fear to cause the employee behaviours that you seek, or do you “set people up to win” by empowering and supporting them ?
Which of the above practices best reflects the culture of the organization that you work within ?