Page 119 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

106B RE-ENGAGE

Sometimes we are short-staffed and clerical work can get
backed up. It’s not just about delegating with him. Gerard is very
hands-on. When he sees that his people are overloaded, he’ll jump
in, roll up his sleeves, and work alongside everyone else. That usu-
ally boosts morale. Our group works on two different floors, so he’s
always going up and down.
He keeps the doors of communication open. When I go to him, I
usually get my answer, so I don’t have to “answer shop.” And he’s
very thoughtful when he gives you an answer. He has confidence
about what to do because he has done the work himself.
During staff meetings Gerard goes over what needs doing better
and what’s going well. He usually starts off very positive. He gives
specific feedback and concrete information. He praises and recognizes
people right after things happen. He doesn’t wait for meetings to do
it. He also comes armed and documented when he has to reprimand.
He’s very firm. Many managers avoid confrontation. Gerard ad-
dresses performance problems immediately. There’s no carrot and no
stick. He’ll just say “OK, I saw this—no more of that.” Very direct.
There’s not a lot of tardiness or absenteeism here.
He is also extremely understanding. I have a two-year-old in
day care, and he accepts that I have to take time off when she’s sick.
He also mans the phones over lunch while the staff goes out for a
birthday party.
He’s not perfect, but I hear some real horror stories about other
managers, so I’m pretty fortunate to have Gerard as my manager.

: THE MANAGER AS DIRECT LINK TO EMPLOYEE ALIGNMENT
AND ENGAGEMENT

In this chapter, we address the role that direct managers play in keep-
ing employees both engaged and aligned with the organization’s
business goals and with their own performance expectations. As we
have mentioned before, employee engagement isn’t everything; the