Is Your Management Model Out of Date?

#31, November 18, 2008

In 1958, over 80 percent of the American workforce was employed on the production line in manufacturing companies. They were hired to use their "hands" more than their intellect, and typically were unskilled and had minimal education. It made sense that these people needed to be closely supervised to ensure they followed the rules and performed their work correctly.

In 2008, less than 10 percent of the workforce is employed in manufacturing and over 70 percent is employed in the services sector. Employees now use their "minds" to do their jobs-they need to think on their feet to solve customer problems and to communicate effectively with customers.

The top-down control based management model designed at the beginning of the industrial revolution worked well with unskilled, uneducated workers, but it does not work in today's workplace with highly educated, smart people who have opinions about what works and what doesn't.

What your organization needs more than anything

The key to success for any business is having passionate customers. Passionate customers don't just keep coming back; they insist that their friends and family do business with you as well. And customers can only be passionate about your business as a result of dealing with passionate employees who really believe in your products and services.

What kind of management model is needed to generate that level of passion and commitment in employees? A model that focuses on meeting the basic needs employees have that when satisfied will ignite the natural passion people have for performing at their best.

Five Essential Leadership Skills

Leaders have a significant impact on how employees feel about coming to work, and how engaged, committed, and passionate they are about their work and the organization. Think about the impact a leader has on each of the five needs that ignite passion:

  1. The need for respect
  2. The need to learn and grow
  3. The need to feel like an "insider"
  4. The need to do meaningful work
  5. The need to be on a winning team

Each of these needs requires a different leadership skill and these skills will be the topics for the next five leadership tips. How do you measure up on the Passion Index? Click here to take the two-minute assessment and find out.

Keep reading our Weekly Leadership Tips for ways you can create a work environment where all team members are engaged, committed to your organization, and passionate about doing a great job every time.

How passionate are you about your work and your organization? Are you doing all that you can as a leader to engage and retain your employees' interest?

Click here to take the two-minute Passion Index assessment and find out how passionate you are.

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© 2007 Keith Ayers. All rights reserved.

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