Today’s workforce needs immediate feedback, constant counseling and suggestions to maintain motivation and focus on the current goal. The days of being able to line out the top ten goals and strategies to achieve the goal then meeting at the end of the month to review the employee’s performance have become very ineffective. Simply put, you have to be an ACTIVE manager and leader to get the very most out of your employees. Being an effective active manager is one that has a good working relationship with all employees or asks for a task to be completed and then follows up with the employee’s progress on completing the task.

Some managers that naturally gravitate to being involved with the day-to-day actions assume that their activity within their organization is beneficial for the long-term goal and success of the business however; their actions are not building accountability and growing the employee. Most managers’ tendencies are to work in the business instead of ON the business. So this is a very delicate line that is easy to cross and that is fine from time to time but do not immerse yourself into completing daily activities that your employees should be completing themselves. Pretty soon you find out that your employees will let you complete as many of their tasks as you would like without a second thought. Someone like myself from the old school of thought would have been mortified if my manager had to complete a daily activity for me, but in todays workforce the employee will allow you to complete as many activities as you desire for them without another thought.

So how do you be an active leader without getting buried in daily activities?

• Over Communicate with all departments about the overall goal and who on your team is responsible for completing the process that will achieve the prize. Get your team to concentrate on the process or the steps that will produce results vs. simply talking about the result.
• Delegate but investigate – Delegation builds trust within your team and empowers your employees. The most effective managers I have worked for gave me a task to complete but then followed up with me on the results and how I was able to complete the task and the steps I took.
• Constant feedback – Give “real-time” feedback daily. A common report or a performance management platform that gives consistent and accurate feedback and highlights the areas of opportunity.

In closing, think of an active leader as one that involves the staff of the problems facing the business and delegates a role in solving the problem. Conversely, think of a passive leader as a firefighter or one that is constantly going around putting out fires or fixing issues after the fact. Over communicate, give constant feedback daily but hold your team accountable to achieve the desired results.