When it comes to unlocking strong, motivated performance in others, managers are key.  Managers are those often closest to their teams, interacting with them on a regular basis and seeing first-hand what influences their performance, positively and negatively.

For managers who are committed to being engagers, being tuned in to every single team member in this way is what gives them the insight to drive performance from good to great.  It is no co-incidence that managers who seek the best from others often have a specific engagement plan for every member of their team, and not ‘the team’ as a collective.

These engagement plans are often just simple notes, observations and details that provide a window into what makes someone’s heart beat a little faster.  The best managers can show you an engagement plan – something real and actionable that they have pulled together, based on their insight.  Other managers pay it lip-service, vigorously agreeing it’s important yet not important enough to commit to action.

Empowering with discretion

Something I often get asked by managers is that whilst they are committed to scoping out individual engagement plans, they often feel stuck between a rock and hard place when it comes to navigating the organisation’s process and policy frameworks. As much as they want to incentivise and reward great performance from people in ways that really hold meaning and significance, they often feel limited by what they as managers can genuinely and autonomously offer.

Recently I worked with a great organisation with a very driven and passionate work force.  They were keen to give managers the discretion to flex within the company’s sickness and attendance policy, based on each individual’s specific relationship with the organisation.  The guideline from HR was that the policy was right for 99% of the time, but that they recognised there may be times when more tolerance or more active support may be needed around attendance.  Thus they painted a framework around the policy that allowed managers to know where the possibilities and boundaries were to flex within the policy.

For managers, this meant they were able to act with confidence instead of automatically deferring to HR and seeking approval.  This was real empowerment in action and an example of a simple change that helped to fuel strong performance.

The challenge for HR then is to encourage managers to build an engagement plan for their reports and demonstrate a depth of authentic and genuine interest in them.  Be curious about the engagement plans and what they reveal: how can you support your managers to tap into any opportunities that would support the plan? Is there something outside the official framework that you could offer some discretion on?  For example, instead of a financial bonus could a particular member be given a day’s charity support work that would mean much more to them?

The results will speak for themselves, we just need to be clear about where the boundaries are with policy and process so that our managers can use their common sense to flex and get the best out of their people.