The Right Fit Feels Right
In our economy, our job and the impact it has on our lives seems to be on the mind of most. As an employee, what do you do if you’re in the wrong job? As a manager, what if your employees are in the wrong job? There are many questions and levels to engage when discussing the workforce of today’s workplace. Recently, I watched a Harvard Business Review interview with Dr. Hallowell, a psychiatrist and researcher. In his recent book, Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People, Hallowell outlines 5 Cycles of Excellence, which he claims is the strategy to engage your employees.
If you’re a manager, have you ever had an employee that seems to hold a lot of potential, yet you can’t figure out where it’s hiding because it never comes out to play? Distinguishing between a poor performer and an employee that’s simply not a good fit, can be a difficult dilemma to encounter. Well, according to Hallowell’s 5 Cycles of Excellence, there are things that managers can do to make the most of who they hire (or who they are handed).
- Selection:
As managers, it’s your job to match the right person to the right task. This is the first step because if you’re mindlessly filling roles, in due time, you’ll become very mindful of that mistake. - Connection:
This comes down to the culture you create; it’s essential to engaging employees’ emotions. - Play:
Encourage employees to employ their imagination. Creativity involves the entire brain, which is the key to step #4. - Grapple:
Once imagination is engaged, employees are personally invested. They are interested in what happens, and they believe in what’s taking place. - Shine:
This is when employees are in the right job in an environment that’s convinced them it’s worth their time, energy, imagination, and personal investment.
As a manager, it can be tricky to navigate the managing waters, but if you’re intentional, observant and serious about your role, you’ll drive change that’s headed in the right direction.
