There are several ways to keep effective employees motivated
and growing. Marcus Buckingham has spent a number of years pointing us to
maximizing one’s strengths and I heartily endorse (and personally try to use)
his advice and concepts. There’s no doubt in my mind that they work.
There is another way and Ron Potter and I, in our book Trust
Me, call it GAP. It stands for Growth Achievement Path. Ron lends a GAP story
to the book about a mail clerk, buried in the bowels of a large corporation.
The interesting thing about this employee was his natural affinity and love of
computers but being in the mailroom, he wasn’t exposed to leaders who could
help him. One day Ron brought up this person’s name to the company’s leadership
team and armed with Ron’s recommendation they shifted this person’s
responsibilities and created a path for him that led to not only personal
satisfaction, but also a very positive outcome for the company.
I have personally used GAP and encourage you to try it. To
begin, you need to be aware of your employee’s and their strengths, desires and
dreams (even if the dreams are outside of your unit or organization).
Once you feel you have a good handle on these three
elements, you can, along with the employee, build a “path” that will help them
grow and develop.
Some other tips I’ve learned when using GAP:
GAP is a wonderful tool for both you and your employees. What
tools or methods do you use to maximize your employees?
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