by Michael Holland
Employees want to know that you, as their leader, are in tune with their progress against their goals. Their innate desire is to receive attention, but the attention must be in forms they prefer whenever possible. As you look at your team of direct reports, think about how each one prefers to receive attention and adjust your information flow and tracking to match those styles.
- The domineering employee will likely want to be given 2 to 3 highlights of what she is working on.
- The conscientious employee will want you to know the due dates and specific themes of his primary tasks or work load.
- The social butterfly will want you to convey how well he is collaborating with his teammates.
- The consistent, consensus employee will want you to understand how her workload is impacting her in comparison to others.
Use your instincts or formal assessment tools to gather intelligence regarding how your employees like to interact with their environment. Then find ways to adjust your style to better match theirs.
