Which Do You Think Works Best for Employee Motivation?

Which Do You Think Works Best for Employee Motivation? We all know them.

The “Results” Manager

There is the manager who is totally focused on the bottomline, the stock price, etc. He is basically a bean counter.

He thinks employees are disposable. He is frequently lacking in social skills.Customer service is not important. Employee benefits are not high on his priorities as they interfere with the bottomline. He doesn’t believe in recognition and rewards.

He expects his employees to put in long hours and not ask for time off. His employees don’t like him and probably don’t like their jobs or working for him. Customer complaints are probably higher than what competitors have.

The “People” Manager

Then there is the manager who is “buddies” with his employees. He socializes with them outside of work. They are his friends. He usually has good social skills and his employees really like him.

He thinks that the business will take care of itself as long as he takes care of the people who work for him and the customers. His stockholders want higher returns. His employees expect a lot and get it.

His competitors are doing better than him.

Two Camps

For years there have been these two camps of thought about which one is best for a business.

Actually, neither is.

Let’s Look at their Impact on Employee Motivation as an Example.

The Results Manager can motivate employees in the short run but will wear out his employees and repel them in the long run.

Employees want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts and they need to know their efforts will be rewarded.

Further, most employees want a boss who is approachable, who has an open door, who will listen to their concerns, etc.

The worst case scenario of a Results Manager results in a Mutiny on the Bounty.

This type of manager is often seen as aloof and uncaring. Sometimes this type of manager sees employees as expendable. They may not respect the employee’s need for family time or vacation time.

Usually this type of manager has a high employee turnover rate. It takes time to hire new employees and train them until they know their jobs well. That time is lost productivity.

The People Manager

Everyone loves this manager. He is friendly and fun to work with. He cares and may even be “friends” with his employees

Sounds good. Right? To an extent this can be beneficial but it can easily go past beneficial. Too much of a good thing. While it is good for a manager to have a good working relationship with employees, being a friend to employees is similar to being a friend to your children.

It is difficult to be a good parent and be a friend just as it is difficult to be a good manager and be a friend to employees. The manager may start making decisions that are not necessarily the best for the company by promoting his buddies rather than the most qualified person for the position as an example of problems that can develop.

Employees may slack off. After all, you are their buddy. You won’t say anything to them if they don’t work hard or they are late for work frequently. Productivity and profits may lose ground when a people manager forgets to focus on results also.

What Works Best

The best managers are a combination of results manager and people manager. It is not easy to find that middle ground but it is absolutely necessary if you are to have long term good results for your company.

Keep people focused on the goals and hold them accountable but do it in a caring way. Be friendly but don’t be buddies with your employees. Limit your time with your employees outside of work so you can still function as their manager at work. Realize that your employees have families and lives outside of work and be flexible when necessary.

A good manager needs to find balance between “results” and “people”.