Do you ever see yourself in your children, like we do? It’s like looking in a mirror…scary, isn’t it? But seeing ourselves in others is a great way to increase our conscious awareness.

Maybe you’ll see yourself in the story that follows. It’s about how to motivate employees (or not). It also is about employee job satisfaction (or not). And it shows an opportunity for employee performance improvement.

As you read about this employee, try to put yourself in her shoes, particularly how she feels.

LeAnn immediately went into a tailspin when she read the instructions her new manager, Dwight, had left for her.

The note was clipped to a Manila file folder.  “LeAnn, take care of this.”  Inside were some sketchy instructions scrawled about a customer complaint. 

She walked to Bob’s cubicle.  He was her peer and best friend at the office.  She showed him the note and file.

“Bob, this is typical Dwight.  A handful of words, a truckload of unanswered questions.  What does ‘take care of this’ mean?  What exactly is the customer’s problem?  What am I supposed to do?  By when? ” Bob nodded.

LeAnn remembered her last manager.  “When Beth assigned work, she was thorough and precise.  She was patient and I always felt comfortable asking questions. Everything was completely clear before I tackled a new assignment.”

She sighed.  “Dwight is so different.  He thinks he’s put it all in writing, just like I like.  He honestly believes he’s been clear, that I’ll know exactly what to do.  People like Dwight don’t understand people like me.  LeAnn waved the note and file.  “This is one of our biggest customers.  If I foul this up, it’ll be a disaster.  What should I do, Bob?”

“Use his voice mail.  Tell him you need to talk.  He’ll get back to you.”

“I don’t feel comfortable doing that.  He expects me to be able to handle things like this.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, but what if I don’t?  What’ll happen to me then?”

The next morning LeAnn stared out the window.  She had not gotten any work done since the day before.  Cars raced down the interstate highway like the questions in her mind.  She had a headache. 

LeAnn eventually tackled the assignment and muddled through it.  She stayed in a frenzy the entire time, doubting herself every step of the way.  The customer, however, never sensed her anxiety and was pleased with the way she resolved the complaint.  Dwight was pleased, too.  He never knew how taxing his simple request had been on LeAnn, never realized how much of her time had been consumed by it.

Unclear expectations always cause frustration, doubt, and wasted time, and often put performance in jeopardy.

The problem is this: as leaders we do hijack the confidence of those we lead, whether we are aware of it or not.  All of us have our own unique way of doing it. Do you have a clear picture of yours?

The solution is this: conscious awareness. You can become consciously aware of the consequences of your words and actions on the confidence of those we lead. They feel your impact. Can you see it?

How urgent is this issue for you?  Those you lead know.   Do you?
You may say, “The people I lead need to get a grip on themselves. They should adapt to me, to my leadership style.” You lead, they follow. Yes, it is a two-way street. Are you doing your part?

Lift up confidence. It’s one of your performance management tools. It yields employee job satisfaction. It’s an answer to the question of how to motivate employees and it results in employee performance improvement.  Lifting confidence rather than hijacking will pay off for you.

For more information, you can read Motivation, Beliefs, and Organizational Transformation by Thad Green and Ray Butkus. You can find it at amazon.com along with Motivation Management.