Wisdom for
Humanizing Commerce
The Catch-22 of Managing Teams
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As a Manager or Director, you know what it’s like to have people problems.
You spend most of your time managing the tasks they’re “supposed to do,” instead of inspiring and supporting your people so they grow.
The Catch 22 result is: 80% of your "people issues" come from 20% of your people.
These disengaged employees look to you for answers on every issue, leaving you tired and frustrated.
So, you try micromanaging them.
When that doesn’t work you try neglecting them.
Either way, they’re still unmotivated and unproductive - and you KNOW they are capable of so much more.
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But wait:
What, exactly, is this person supposed to be doing? Do they really know? Do you know?
What are the standards and expectations for this position?
When this employee was hired. . . why, precisely, was this particular person hired?
The Fundamentals
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The positions in your care serve the company in specific ways. Do your employees know the results they need to produce? We rarely ask these fundamental type of questions because we assume that deep in the belly of every company, there are answers.
• Maybe your boss or HR has the answers. But they're busy and have their own issues to manage.
• Maybe your CEO knows. But leaders are tasked to address high-level, strategic issues.
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Here’s the kicker:
Most managers don’t have these answers and neither do their bosses, CEOs, or HR departments.
Let's Interview the Job to Get Answers
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Imagine interviewing the job itself (not the person in the job). You would quickly discover why it exists, what outcomes are needed by the company, and what traits are needed by an employee to be successful in the job. Then, you can clarify budget issues, prioritize key outcomes, and provide a baseline of success. As part of our Job Benchmarking process, we uncover this information and provide a personalized Development Plan for the current employee in each job based on the needs of their job. This can be done for your department or the whole company.
How Job Benchmarking Works
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The job benchmarking process identifies the traits and qualities that an employee needs in order to be successful. Here’s how it works. Touchbase Services will:
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Define the job.
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Create a profile for the ideal traits of an employee or job candidate.
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Compare the profile of the employee or job candidate to the benchmark.
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For managers: we provide valuable clarity about the job itself.
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For employees: we provide a personalized development plan that aligns to the job.
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For job candidates: we provide a short-list of highly recommended candidates to the hiring manager or team.
Clarity In 3 Steps
The process begins by identifying why the job exists in the first place, how it fits in with the company’s strategy, and how success is measured in the role. From there:
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We gather information: We facilitate a guided discussion with the manager, employee, and 2-3 Subject Matter Experts – people who have a clear understanding of the job and its specific demands. These participants then complete a survey.
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We develop a Job Profile: With participant's input, we define key accountabilities for the job, including behaviors, motivators, competencies, and acumen indicators that define a top performer in the job.
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We provide an assessment: The employee receives an assessment to discover their natural traits.
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We generate a Gap Report: The report compares the employees’ results with the established job profile, pinpointing where strengths and mis-alignments exist. For an open job, we provide a Gap Report that compares multiple candidates to the job profile.
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We create a Development Plan: The plan outlines how the employee can better use his or her natural traits to accomplish the goals of the job. If the job is open, this same information can be used to select the best job candidates.
Job Benchmarking
Higher Engagement
Higher Profits
Engage and Motivate Your Employees With Job Benchmarking
Discover what the job needs from an employee - and what the employee brings to their job. With these insights, you can resolve issues related to disengagement and bring out the best in your employees.