Springhill Group Counseling | general news|Want Happier Employees? Get Rid of the Bosses

For many employees, a job is a place they go because they

have to. They have to pay the bills. They have to get in by 8,

work 8 hours, and leave by 5. They have to report to their

boss because he has to report to his boss who has to report

to... you get the idea.

If your employees are spending well over a third of their time

doing things simply because they have to, it should come as

no surprise if they seem, well, a little less than motivated.

I noticed this was happening at my company. Our top-down

hierarchy only reinforced the problem. Employees were

working in silos, instead of collectively, because they couldn't

really see how and where they fit into the overarching goals of

the business. They completed tasks simply because they had

to. I realized that the managers, execs, department heads, etc.

were getting in the way.

So, a few months ago I decided to get rid of all the layers.

Instead of a rigid hierarchy, I flattened the structure, threw

out fancy titles, and reorganized the whole company into

teams. It wasn't an easy shift--it quickly became clear that

some positions previously amounted to "middle men" and

weren't entirely necessary anymore, so I had to let some

people go. We're still adjusting, but I can say that even though

we're only a few months into it, it's working: We all work in

teams that self-manage. There's no need for bosses or

management to nag and tell people what to do. And

productivity and motivation are through the roof.

Here's how I did it:

The Team Philosophy

Individuals need to be managed, but teams manage themselves. The

first step is to break down your departments (they're not the same as

teams). In a typical organization, you may have a marketing

department that generates a lead, a sales department that then makes

the sale, a production department that delivers, and a service

department that supports the customer. But when you think about it,

everyone should be working for the customer. So instead of employees

residing in department silos, create teams that bring them together

under this shared goal.

Then remove hierarchy within these teams. No one should have a

"senior" or "VP" title. Leaders may naturally emerge within the teams,

but there should be no official reporting structure. Initially, I thought

my senior level people might balk at this idea. But once they saw the

changes in culture and work habits, they got behind it. I let them

choose their own titles--as long as they didn't try to introduce

hierarchy.

You also want to make sure your team's goals are tied to company goals and company performance. Have your teams measure their own performance at set intervals (every two weeks or once a month may work). They'll learn from their mistakes and continuously improve between milestones.

Take Money off the Table

Money is naturally a "have to." We have to pay our bills so we have to make money. But thankfully money only motivates us to a certain point. Once money is off the table, this is when the real culture shift can happen.

Salaries are naturally hierarchical. But what happens when

you eliminate hierarchy in your business? Don't worry--it

doesn't involve flattening salaries across the board. (We

didn't lower any salaries at Ciplex, though we did give out a

few raises.) You still have different pay levels but they're not

rigidly tied to certain job titles; they're tied to performance.

Now when I make a new hire I always ask the person what

kind of salary she's looking for and how much would be

enough to get money off her mind. When the salary question

is presented in the right way, I find most people are honest.

We won't hire the person if we can't afford it. If a team

member can pay his bills and not have to worry about money

all month, you've accomplished this very important step.

Give the Gift of Autonomy

Autonomy is one of the biggest motivators. Your team is made

up of adults right? So treat them like adults. Remove rules

and give your teams full freedom to accomplish their goals.

They will figure out on their own when they have to come in and

leave, if they can take a vacation, if they can only put in two hours

today or if they have to put in 14.

If any one team member takes advantage of this new freedom, the

rest of the team will vote that person off the island--Survivor-style.

Challenge Them

Employees want to constantly advance their skills and be better at

what they do. If they're not challenged, they will look for challenges

elsewhere. That's the last thing you want.

You already handed them a challenge by forming teams and setting

team goals. Naturally each team will want to find ways to be better,

more efficient, and effective. But what else should you do? Meet with

all of your employees and determine what skills they have that aren't

being utilized. Find out what they want to become better at and where

they can improve. Then support them by removing obstacles that

might be in their way.

Determine What Makes Them Tick

Get to know your employees. Why are they doing what they

are doing? Do they see themselves doing this type of job for a

long time?

Your organization needs people with the right purpose. The

right drive. Your job is to help them find their purpose within

your company or to potentially let them go if they're not a

good fit.

Lead Your Team

Now let's work on you.

Remember, the teams you've created will police themselves.

You no longer need to correct them or even help solve

problems for them. Instead of being a manager, support them

by being a leader.

Leading, unlike managing, requires employees to adapt and adjust to their own challenges and problems. If someone comes to you with a problem, ask good questions and provide the support he needs to determine his own solution. That way, ownership of the problem doesn't transfer to someone else or escalate.

Keep The Culture Alive

Compared with where we were three months ago, Ciplextoday feels like a completely different company. Our team members are truly happy and everyone wants to be there. I know that everyone is doing everything they can to meet our company goals.

Some have been offered jobs at competing companies that pay higher--but they've turned them down.

Even I--a former micromanager who used to get squeamish at the sight of an employee on Facebook at work--have learned to let go. The other day I even shopped online for an Xbox for the office, simply because I heard some employees love to play it.