Your Most Important Stakeholders

Courtesy of CoverUps.com

There are two things which are absolutely vital in ensuring organisational success:

1) Hire the right people.
2) Keep them as long as you can (within reason).

As Singapore’s job market starts to grow yet again amidst the rise in its economic prospects, how does an employing organisation make itself attractive to talented candidates? In addition, how does such an organisation continue to nurture its best officers, groom them and provide them with the best chances for success?

There are a couple of suggestions which you may wish to consider:

1) Celebrate team achievements rather than individual ones. While there will inevitably be stars in your team (just like there will be poor performers), it is vital for everybody to move as one unit.

2) Network extensively with people in your industry – not just the senior war-weary chaps, but also the younger bright-eyed and bushy tailed ones. To be a magnet for manpower, you need to be visible enough in the right social circles as well as the market for talent.

3) Be positive about what you do and willing to share about your work experiences beyond the cursory “I work in the government lor…” The more enthusiasm you show in what you do, the more interest you will generate.

4) Get to know what makes your team members tick and find the best way to engage them. Some people prefer the close huddle, football team management approach. Others prefer to have more space to experiment and explore. See what works best for individuals.

5) Create opportunities for team members to shine, and never fail to acknowledge good work while giving credit where its due. If possible, placade officers who were directly responsible for putting things in place.

6) Engender a sense of ownership amongst team members so that everybody has a stake in what you’re doing. Its pointless to have a dream plan when it falls apart due to lack of buy-in and support. Rallying others isn’t just a job for the evangelist but the manager too.

7) When push comes to shove, be willing to make painful decisions. The toughest part of work is not the work in itself – even if you’re a rocket scientist! It is in managing the fine network of relationships between different parties, balancing between the needs of different players yet ensuring that progress doesn’t get halted by barriers.

Are there other lessons in people management that you can think of?