People Management: The 12 Questions You Need to Care About

It is often said that people leave their managers, not their companies. In the IT industry, hiring and retention are probably the most critical issues facing growing companies today. So what can managers to do keep their team motivated and happy? What is the difference between a good manager and a bad one?

I have been reading Marcus Buckingham's "First, Break All the Rules" in which he addresses these very questions. Accordingly to his book, which is a result of years of research conducted by the Gallup Organization, the following twelve statements measure the core elements needed to attract, focus and keep the most talented employees:

1) I know what is expected of me at work
2) I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job right
3) At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day
4) In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for good work
5) My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care for me as a person
6) There is someone at work who encourages my development
7) At work, my opinions seem to count
8) The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel like my work is important
9) My co-workers are committed to doing quality work
10) I have a best friend at work
11) In the last six months, I have talked with somebody about my progress
12) At work, I have opportunities to learn and grow

The best managers get scores of 5 (strongly agree) on most of these questions.

Here are some key points, though, in the way these questions are framed. Many of them contain extremes (best), which makes the ratings of 5 difficult to achieve. That is exactly the intention - to make it hard to make very strongly assertive statements. If an answer gets 5 from everyone, it loses its power to discriminate and loses its relevance. Also, interestingly, these questions are such that the most engaged and productive employees would answer positively, and everyone else, answered neutrally or negatively. This is not necessarily a reflection on the kind of employees you have - it is more likely a reflection of the kind of manager you are!

These questions can be categorized into 4 distinct "phases", as you climb your mountain. The "base camp" questions (1 & 2) address "What do I get?" When you start a new role, your questions are very basic - you need to know what is expected of you. Camp 1 questions (3 to 6) address the next question you will have, "What do I give?" This is where your attention shifts to your personal contribution and how it is perceived by others in the company. Camp 2 (questions 7 - 10) addresses the phase where you ask yourself, "Do I belong here"? This is where you ask yourself, do I fit in here? Finally, Camp 3 (questions 11 & 12) is about "How can we all grow?" You want to make things better, to grow, to innovate. And you can innovate only if you are focussed on the right expectations (Base Camp), have the confidence in your own expertise (Camp 1), and aware of how you new ideas will be accepted or rejected by the people around you (Camp 2).

Ask yourself these questions, and you will know where you are on your own mountain. And just like on the mountain, if you do not spend enough time on base camp, if you aim high without focussing on the basics first, you will get mountain sickness and one day, die with your team.

As a manager, of course, these are the questions you know your team members will be asking - what can you do to get all 5s? Here lies the challenge. Many of these questions are inherently contradictory. For example, you can have hefty manuals that make it clear how your employees should work, and get your a 5 on the question, do I know what I am expected to do. However, it will stifle their creativity and feedback, and get you a 1 on the question, do my opinions count?

One of my biggest problems has been being able to follow the 80-20 rule with my team, focussing my time and attention on those who have grabbed the opportunities in the past and shown promise for the future, without appearing to be partial to some. It's not easy being best friend on the job - when your team member performs, you can be accused of being partial for being a best friend - remember, even if another of your best friend doesn't have the same success, no one will remember that!

To be really successful, you need to be able to set expectations from everyone consistently, yet be able to treat each person differently. You need to be able to make each person feel as though he is in a role that best utilizes his talents, yet challenge him to grow! You have to care about each person, praise each person, and if necessary, terminate a person you cared about and praised.