Personal Engagement : The Role of Self Image
I
recently spoke to a customer service manager about the engagement of his team. The problem, he said, was that several of the staff didn’t know whether to pass clients on to him or find solutions on their own. No doubt a common issue. However, for some of the staff either option was a no-win situation.
Why? Well, the Trackers and Facilitators were hesitant to pass clients onto their manager because they felt it would appear they didn’t know how to perform their job. Handling the problem themselves left room for making a poor decision.
In either case, the self image of the staff member was affected. Staff decided to pass the decision onto their manager more often than not, which burdened the manager and made staff feel ineffectual.
The solution to this problem was really quite simple. First, Facilitators and Trackers need direction. They are not entrepreneurial and don’t like to “wing-it” when it comes to the tough decisions because of their behavioral blind spots. So, my suggestion was to create a series of “if-then” scenarios for the staff. If the client says or needs Y, then do X. Create as many “if-then” scenarios as needed to help the staff feel they have authority and resources to make the tough decisions. This is empowering and, for a Facilitator and Tracker,
very helpful to self image.
Giving clear options to Trackers and Facilitators allows them to work in their strength (while building a sense of purpose) and not feel the burden of unscripted resolutions.
