One of my former bosses use to ask us during times of high stress, “why do you think they call it work?” He believed that by asking that question it would give us a perspective that our work is hard, but what it mostly did was to demoralize people to expect that nothing better could be expected from our work. Instead of motivating us to excel, his efforts pushed us towards mediocrity.

In a recent research piece, the Gallup Organization identified some more effective ways that managers can support their employees so that workplace stress can be handled more effectively and employees can be more energized to get the work done efficiently. Their highlights included:

• Manager leadership is the primary driver of how effective a work team is in being engaged and getting work done accounting for 70% of the variance
• Effective communication through regular meetings, face to face interactions along with phone and messaging are critical to keeping employees in the loop and engaged in the work.
• Managers who show an interest in their employees and can talk with them about work and their personal/family life create a vital connection that helps weather challenging situations
• Great managers help their employees develop professionally by building in time to discuss their development and by helping employees build and execute a plan based on their strengths to achieve their objectives.

As a manager you have the power to help your employees strive for high performance through the recognition that they need your support and ideas to make their work meaningful.

© Richard Citrin, All rights reserved, 2015