“Nobody wants to work hard anymore.”
“There’s no more team loyalty.”
“I can’t seem to get anyone to go the extra mile.”
“Why can’t my team be more self-motivated?”
These statements and many more like them are ones we hear from leaders and managers all the time. They are all important. They are critical to solve. They are all true for those who struggle with them.
But here’s the kicker: Complaining about something doesn’t change it. It might make you feel temporarily better, but in the end, it just isn’t that helpful.
What is helpful is understanding what your people need in order for them to give you what you want. And just like with technology, systems, and other business practices, things have changed over the decades. You may need to consider an upgrade to your methods.
What you needed when you entered the workplace are not the same things that newer generations are looking for or responding positively to.
According to Gallup’s State of the Workplace Report, newer workers aren’t looking so much for more compensation as they are 1) clarity about their path forward, 2) an investment in their growth through coaching, and 3) hope for their future.
Coaching is an investment that pays big dividends. It allows someone neutral to come alongside your people and help them grow their skills and expertise and expand their capacity, including the capacity to solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate better, and step into the accountability to own their roles and outcomes.
Sometimes managers have the time to provide this coaching, but many times they don’t.
Sometimes managers have the skills to provide this coaching, but often they don’t.
This week, notice how often you complain to someone (if even to yourself) about your team and their performance. Consider the investment of coaching as a path to move from complaining about a problem to solving the problem.
If LionSpeak can help coach your team members, we are standing by, ready to help you move from complaints to productivity.
“All coaching really is is taking a player where he can’t take himself.“
– Bill McCartney
