Anchoring is a cognitive bias humans have where they rely or anchor too heavily on an initial piece of information when making decisions. Perhaps Google was doing something like this when it attempted to prove that bosses aren't actually necessary.
Instead, it wound up proving the exact opposite to be true. Google discovered that managers, who are able to empower their employees without micromanaging, are extremely effective at helping employees to be more efficient and productive.
To do this, managers need to give employees a sense of empowerment and autonomy by delegating projects and being more hands off than the average boss tends to be.
For managers, this requires determining what the goals are and which tasks are best suited for a manager's own talents vs. delegated to employees. While delegating and mentoring employees can be time intensive, doing so will ultimately make things easier in the long-term.
According to Google, it turns out that there are seven steps managers should take to do this effectively. Community bankers may want to consider these steps as well.
- First, provide employees with an overall idea of the work they will be assigned and its ultimate importance to the company's bottom line.
- Next, managers should take the time to walk employees through exactly what is expected of them, but without telling them how exactly they need to complete the task at hand. Allowing employees to figure things out by themselves, to a degree, gives them the sense of independence which is necessary for them to strengthen their own skills through the experience.
- Then, make sure that any conversation regarding the assignment given to an employee is interactive with the manager. Be sure to actively seek employee input and address questions.
- The next step necessitates listening to whatever an employee has to say and demonstrating an understanding of any concerns. An employee needs to feel that they can safely express any concerns or comments without repercussions.
- Then, the manager needs to ensure that employees understand how the work they are being assigned will ultimately impact the company and how it works in conjunction with other initiatives within the company.
- The second-to-last step is about encouragement and the importance of conveying to employees that you trust them to take on the responsibility you are delegating.
- Lastly, step seven involves monitoring an employee's progress, which should be done by establishing any deadlines or checkpoints that will occur from the very onset of the assignment.
Your institution can hopefully learn much from the work done by Google, as you seek to make sure that managers understand the importance of the above steps. Doing so can make your employees more productive, so it is worth the effort. Given the changing marketplace and heavy competition, ensuring managers set employees up for success is more important than ever before.
