Steer clear of the One-size-fits-all Management

Steer Clear of One-Size-Fits-All Management

When the job market picks up, the first to leave are often a company's most valuable employees. Unfortunately, you may be inadvertently encouraging these future leaders to say their goodbyes by treating them as cogs in a wheel rather than the individuals that they are. Instead of managing everyone the same way, do these two things to manage your star performers person-to-person: Customize the position. Know what each employee's strengths, weaknesses, and preferences are. If your star performer doesn't want to manage people, don't make her do it, unless it is part of your development plan for that particular person. If she hates to travel, don't put her into a sales job with a large territory. If you have a person that is good with customer’s utilise that person in or such a role or, etc. Customize the rewards. Employees want different perks. A parent may want flex time while an ambitious, recent college grad may be looking for outside training or a mentor. Give people what they want, not what upper management has decided is best for them to have.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Retaining a Workforce That Wants to Quit" by Sharon Daniels brought to you by Edwin van Wyk via Harvard Business Review.