Back in my corporate employee experience days, we carried out some research which showed that people prefer to talk to their friends and peers about their career, rather than speaking with their manager.
Given that this should be a role that line managers fulfil, we wanted to understand what stopped people from talking with them.
What do you think stops people from talking with their manager?
TIME
It’s the perception that their boss is too busy. Doing things that are “far more important” than talking to their people.
But what could be more important than having conversations with your people about the things that are worrying them, or conversations that help them to move forward somehow?
After all, by not having these conversations, people are not getting the support they need. And not being able to do their jobs at peak performance levels.
And research shows that people leave an organisation due to conversations that are unspoken.
Every person needs the support of the people around them. They NEED those conversations.
Now, those of you who are managers are probably saying to yourselves… “But I would always make time for my people, if they only asked”.
There’s the rub.
They won’t ask, because you look like you are too busy.
They don’t want to take you away from your “really important business”.
They feel like they are not important enough to trouble you. (That’s another issue in itself that they are minimising their own importance, but that’s a topic for another day.)
So if they won’t ask…you need to ask them.
- “What’s on your mind?”
- “What issues are you facing right now?”
- “What do you want for your future?”
Any of these, and many more could be a great way to instigate a conversation.
This is about you contributing to the success of your people. That’s what differentiates a manager from an individual contributor – you are there to support others, not only yourself.
So what are you doing to help them see that you DO have the time for them? It’s not enough to say you do…you need to set everything aside, be fully present for them, and start those conversations.
Don’t wait for them to ask.
