Retaining and building strong team
The question from one of our readers, was asked at a real interview for the first line manager job:
You are a manager and there are a few engineers in your group. They are all smart and competitive engineers. One day one engineer comes to you and says he has been working in this area for a long time and he wants to transfer to a different group and try something different. What does it mean? How do you respond? Suppose that the engineer finally left and went to another group. Sooner or later another engineer comes to the manager again and wants to leaves for similar reasons. What should you do?
Elizabeth: As the manager of the group, you should always understand your employee's 1, 2, and 5 year goals. Assign them tasks accordingly. If you have a very competitive group, you should ask them to spend 5% -10% of their time investigating new technologies, cross training each other, trying to initiate new projects for the group, and pushing them to re-invent themselves to keep up with industry. You can motivate the team better if they get your support in expanding their technical horizons.
As the manager of the group, you should also go out of your way to find additional projects for the group, and expand the group's responsibility by providing help or advice to other groups. Providing advice to other groups will improve the credibility of your employees and give them more visibility and promotion opportunities. You will earn your employee's respect and trust as well as credits from upper management for your initiative, collaboration and employee development.
Pat: Rule number one at Illinois Bell was, ”A good manager promotes his people.” I agree with Elizabeth’s answer. To be an effective team you need to get to know your employees and their personal goals. Meet with them individually as well as in the work group. Share the goals of the group…what your boss expects from this group. It is important that each employee knows and understands what is expected of him. Find projects that will help your employees learn new things and excel at their projects. You want them to succeed. You want them to be able to recommend them for promotions. Their success is your success. If you have followed Elizabeth’s advice, you have your team cross-trained so you will have a qualified person to backfill when you lose your experienced engineer.
You are a manager and there are a few engineers in your group. They are all smart and competitive engineers. One day one engineer comes to you and says he has been working in this area for a long time and he wants to transfer to a different group and try something different. What does it mean? How do you respond? Suppose that the engineer finally left and went to another group. Sooner or later another engineer comes to the manager again and wants to leaves for similar reasons. What should you do?
Elizabeth: As the manager of the group, you should always understand your employee's 1, 2, and 5 year goals. Assign them tasks accordingly. If you have a very competitive group, you should ask them to spend 5% -10% of their time investigating new technologies, cross training each other, trying to initiate new projects for the group, and pushing them to re-invent themselves to keep up with industry. You can motivate the team better if they get your support in expanding their technical horizons.
As the manager of the group, you should also go out of your way to find additional projects for the group, and expand the group's responsibility by providing help or advice to other groups. Providing advice to other groups will improve the credibility of your employees and give them more visibility and promotion opportunities. You will earn your employee's respect and trust as well as credits from upper management for your initiative, collaboration and employee development.
Pat: Rule number one at Illinois Bell was, ”A good manager promotes his people.” I agree with Elizabeth’s answer. To be an effective team you need to get to know your employees and their personal goals. Meet with them individually as well as in the work group. Share the goals of the group…what your boss expects from this group. It is important that each employee knows and understands what is expected of him. Find projects that will help your employees learn new things and excel at their projects. You want them to succeed. You want them to be able to recommend them for promotions. Their success is your success. If you have followed Elizabeth’s advice, you have your team cross-trained so you will have a qualified person to backfill when you lose your experienced engineer.
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