How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?

How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?

Now here’s a question that entrepreneurs often ask me. There are two fundamental causes of this issue. The entrepreneur either hired the wrong people, or he/she hired the right people but managed them incorrectly after hiring.

On the question of hiring the right people, entrepreneurs often focus their hiring activities on filling a technical need. Employees who are very competent in their field but lack the “softer skills” can become real problems for their employers. Consider the waiter that is very efficient in taking the order, delivering the food to your table on time, and completing the check accurately. If that person lacks enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills, and the commitment to customer service and the success of the business, then it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, they will always disappoint you.

What should the business owner do about poor performing employees? If you want to try to salvage this employee, then you need to specifically instruct the employee on these aspects of their job. Give them a limited amount of time to change their work behavior, 30 to 60 days. If you don’t see a significant improvement, then you have to terminate them. If they improve, make sure you recognize this change and compliment them in front of your other employees. Try to give them positive reinforcement for this change in their behavior. And make sure that they understand that this change needs to be permanent. Let them know that if they fall back to their old ways, they will be on the path to termination.

What the about the employee who has the technical and personality skills but just doesn’t apply their skills at the level you need? Once again, the employee needs specific direction from you on what you expect from them. Make sure you impress on your employee how important they are to the company. Take the time to tell them about your plans and objectives. Make them feel like they are on the inside and explain the role they play in the success of the business. In a survey of thousands of employees from several different companies, employees rated “meaningful and interesting work” as the number one criteria for their “ideal job.” Frequent, repetitive verbal messages, with a good dose of pats on the back, go a long way to reinforce their role in the overall success of the business.









What about hiring the right people? There are several basic techniques that when implemented, will result in better quality new hires. They are too lengthy to discuss here, but they range from
o How to write an effective employment ad to attract the best candidates …..to
o How to keep them motivated through an effective orientation process and employee development plan.

When it comes to hiring and firing, remember this well-founded concept: Hire Slow, Fire Fast.

Action Steps
1. Sit down with pen and paper and write down your assessment of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Rank your employees from high to low.
3. Start at the bottom and develop an employee improvement plan that results in the employee either improving their performance to your satisfaction or eventual termination. (Either result will get the attention of your other employees.)
4. Start conducting short daily meetings (first thing every day, and no longer than 10 minutes) to reinforce what’s going on in the company-daily wins, obstacles, and goals. Every employee should speak to the wins and obstacles. You, the business owner, can speak briefly about the goals and where you stand.
5. Make a point to look for someone doing something “right” every day and make sure you tell them, preferably in front of other employees.
6. When hiring new employees, look for those strong behavior skills. It is much easier to train someone on the technical skills, than it is on “how to smile.”




Ray Mead
Certified FocalPoint Business Coach