Part II: Who will be the Managers and Leaders of Your Company in 2019? - aftermarketNews

Part II: Who will be the Managers and Leaders of Your Company in 2019?

Last week, in Part I of this series, I wrote about the future challenges aftermarket companies will face in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest young people to replace their retiring baby boomer managers and company leaders. Research indicates that the next generation of workers rank “opportunities for growth and personal development” very high on their scale of selecting which company they will choose to work for. Providing these growth and personal development opportunities is not an optional activity, it is mandatory if your company wants to attract and hire good candidates from the shrinking talent pool available in America.

Editor’s Note: The following article is part two of a two-part series by special guest contributor Chuck Udell, a senior partner at Essential Action Design Group. The article picks up where Udell’s last article series for aftermarketNews on leadership left off, focusing on recruiting and retaining tomorrow’s best and brightest.

Part II

by Chuck Udell

Last week, in Part I of this series, I wrote about the future challenges aftermarket companies will face in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest young people to replace their retiring baby boomer managers and company leaders. Research indicates that the next generation of workers rank “opportunities for growth and personal development” very high on their scale of selecting which company they will choose to work for.

Providing these growth and personal development opportunities is not an optional activity, it is mandatory if your company wants to attract and hire good candidates from the shrinking talent pool available in America. Will it cost money? Yes. Is there a return on this investment? Absolutely; if certain systems and processes are integrated into your management culture. To ensure that your training and employee development investments provide more than just a return on expectations, and also provide a return on financial investment, you must utilize a few “most admired company” techniques.

Effective development and skill growth of each employee starts and ends with their supervisor or manager. The manager or supervisor is the person that ensures development happens for each employee. The responsibility for individual skill attainment and personal development cannot be solely delegated to the “silo” called the training department. Every leader, manager and supervisor in your company has teachable points to communicate and transfer to their direct reports. They are responsible for teaching and communicating the Three Clarities to every person in your company.

How does a manager know the development needs of each of their direct reports? Through the utilization of a robust, rigorous, and candid performance evaluation system for each employee.

In survey after survey, today’s young employees continue to rank “Know what is expected of me” and “How my performance will be measured” as important to them. (They rank these two items as more important than compensation.) They want clarity about their roles and clarity about how their contributions will be measured.

There are five elements to an effective performance evaluation system. First, it must be clear and simple. This includes even the form you use. One of the most effective forms I saw was a three column form. The columns were titled “Goal,” “Timing” (due date) and “Results.” The form also had a space for the supervisor to write the employee’s “Strengths” and “Recommended Development Needs.” Your employee evaluation form can be as short as three pages in length.

This leads to the second point – employees should be measured on “agreed upon goals” that are set at the start of the evaluation period. Every person in your organization, at all levels should be held accountable for their own performance. Goals must be clearly defined and relate directly to what the individual must contribute and accomplish so that the business’s goals are achieved.

Goals should stretch and challenge the employee, yet be attainable. We have found that most employees want to be challenged and when challenged, they will strive to achieve their goals.

Most companies formally evaluate their people once a year. Employee evaluation is not just a “task” or “paperwork” required annually by the HR department. The evaluation process is how managers identify the training and development needs of their direct reports. It is less expensive to fix an employee than to hire a new one. We suggest that in addition to your formal annual evaluation, managers should be reviewing with their direct reports quarterly. These reviews allows the manager to see how the employee is doing on each goal, focusing on not only what is going well but also on what needs to happen so that they can achieve their more challenging goals. Performance evaluation is continuous.

The fourth element found in “most admired companies” is that they allow each of their employees to complete a self-evaluation before their formal evaluation by their supervisor. The employee feels that they have some say into their performance rating. It provides them with an opportunity to discuss their progress on their goals as well as what they believe their development needs are. The use of the self-evaluation before the formal evaluation provides the opportunity for open and candid conversation between the manager and the employee.

The last element in your performance evaluation system should be that everyone should have at least one professional development goal. Examples include attending a formal seminar, taking an on-line course, or cross training in a related position. These development goals must tie not only to your employee’s needs but also to your company’s future talent needs.

Performance evaluation is continuous. This gives the manager an excellent opportunity to solve problems and coach the employee. With every new team employee, you have an opportunity to test their understanding of how they are impacting the financial and operational metrics they have control over. Managers must be objective with their direct reports – show candor. Remember candor starts with you, the leader. These one-on-one meetings provide you with an opportunity to ensure that each of your direct reports are absolutely clear on the company’s Three Clarities.

No company hires or promotes the right person all the time – so mistakes do happen. Regular one-on-one meetings can help a manager to turn someone around and save your company the expense of replacing them. Regular one-on-one meetings will help you document challenges as well as positive development. At the end of each one-on-one meeting, write up what was discussed and action items to be reviewed at the next one-on-one meeting.

Lou Holtz in his book, “Wins, Loses, and Lessons” states that to ask someone to do something they are incapable of doing does not make them a better team player and it makes you look like a bad coach. You must know your people, their capabilities and development needs as well as establish rapport with them before you can coach them.

Regular meetings with each employee requires a significant commitment of time by the manager. However, what is more important in your business than insuring that you and your team are on target and supporting your company’s goals. And the additional good news is, your team members, especially your Generation “Yers” will appreciate you helping them further develop their skills.

Each of us has attended a training class that was a complete waste of our time. So, what are some things that managers can do to ensure that the training they are recommending for an employee, will result in a new skill be learned?

The specific skill training programs that you provide an employee should tie-in with their developmental needs. An employee’s continuous skill development and growth, produces higher output and better performance – a win-win situation.

To paraphrase my friend Jon Owens – “If you want to get and keep Grade “A” employees you must be a Grade “A” business.” Providing personal development and growth opportunities for all of your employees will make a your company a Grade “A” business.

John C. Maxwell, a well known leadership authority wrote; “Leaders attract not whom they want but who they are.” If you focus on the development needs of your employees, you will be able to provide each of them with the opportunities to learn, to acquire new skills, and to grow. By doing this, you will soon find yourself surrounded by a workforce that is willing to help each other, to help customers and help channel partners. Your company’s managers and leaders in the year 2019 are ready to learn; teach today for a better tomorrow.

About the author:

Chuck Udell, MAAP, is a senior partner with Essential Action Design Group, a Charlotte, NC-based consultancy that provides research, needs analysis, design and deployment of performance improvement training programs for retail and B2B sales organizations. Udell is a veteran officer of the U.S. Air Force. He received his MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Rochester and his BS from the University of Virginia. For 10 years, Udell served as a consumer products analyst for over-the-counter products with Marion Merrill Dow pharmaceuticals. He served for more than five years with Mobil Chemicals’ Hefty Trash Bags division as its product specific financial analyst for all channels. Udell is an active member in AAIA and AASA. He is the former president of the University of the Aftermarket and is also an active member of the American Society of Trainers and Developers, and continues his research initiatives in cataloging performance best practices and maximized employee effectiveness.

To email Chuck, click here.

You May Also Like

Continental, Synopsys Team Up on Automotive Software Development

The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and validation of software features and applications for the Software-Defined Vehicle.

Continental announced a collaboration with Synopsys to accelerate the development and validation of software features and applications for the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV).

"This new collaboration integrates Synopsys’ industry-leading virtual prototyping solutions for virtual Electronic Control Units (vECU) within Continental’s Automotive Edge (CAEdge) cloud-based development framework. The results are digital twin capabilities for software development that help automakers accelerate software development and speed up their time to market," Continental said.

Epicor Unveils Digital Cataloging, Future Plans

The new catalogs use Epicor-validated, ACES-compliant data and an “Intelligent Search” feature to find the right part quickly.

Epicor digital catalog
Epicor Launches Automotive B2B eCommerce Platform

The Epicor Commerce for Automotive platform features multi-seller support and parts lookups for distributors and their customers.

Epicor commerce for Automotive
Marelli Launches Fuel System for Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Marelli will present a variety of new technology at the CTI Symposium in Germany, Dec. 5-6.

The Automotive Aftermarket’s Role in a Circular Economy 

Take a deep dive into the factors driving the automotive aftermarket toward a more circular economy.

Circular economy

Other Posts

AI in the Aftermarket: Endless Applications Yet Hurdles Remain

The automotive aftermarket is delving into AI and ways it can help businesses be more productive and effective.

Intellias to Showcase HMI, ADAS and More at CES 2024

The company also will unveil the next generation of its IntelliKit, a portable fully-integrated digital cockpit.

Anyline Partners with Treads to Simplify Car Ownership

Anyline has partnered with Treads, an AI-driven car management subscription service, to enhance analytics for car owners.

Anyline Trends partnership
Unifying Your Parts Technology to Eliminate Channel Conflict

Harmonizing various channels in your eCommerce strategy through unified technology helps build an agile business model.

ecommerce channel conflict auto parts suppliers