A manager will quickly learn that their management style is not the same from one employee to the next. Before I get into the whole Gen-X, Millennial, Gen-Y, and baby boomer issue (another post) I will look at the basic Stages of employee development as laid out by Ken Blanchard back in the mid-late 1990’s. What is important to recognize here is that you have to CHANGE your style of management from person to person in your team.
D-1 Enthusiastic Beginner (Don’t’ know what they don’t know)
Low consciousness
Low competence
(Unconscious Incompetence)
These employees are excited, fired up and ready to go 1,000 miles an hour with their hair on fire . . . the wrong direction! How to recognize: These are usually very new, enthusiastic, curious, and motivated employees who have no idea what to do or how. As a manager you need to recognize this and adopt a Directing Style of management. At this stage of the game you need to provide frequent direction, training, instruction, follow-up and re-direction. Give them bite sized units of work that they can deal with and check back frequently to ensure that they are progressing in the proper manner and provide tons of feedback on how they are doing...
D-2 Disillusioned Learner (Know what they don’t know)
High Consciousness
Low Competence
(Conscious incompetence)
At this stage your employee has been there long enough for the new to wear off. They have been there long enough to know that there are things they don’t know and that some things they are learning are more difficult than anticipated. They are still working hard and do not have a lot to show for it. This can lead to frustrations and disillusionment if it is not corrected. At this stage a manager will apply a coaching style of leadership and continue to provide feedback, and instruction where needed, but most important timely, accurate, meaningful, sincere feedback on their performance and continue to re-direct them to new tasks as needed.
D-3 Capable but Cautious Learner (know they know)
High Consciousness
High Competence
(Conscious Competence)
These are the employees who have done it once or twice and have done it to standard. They understand that they are capable and that they can perform the work but there is caution because they are unsure if they can replicate their results. Fear of failure makes them cautious. Managers need to apply a supportive style of management. The employees know what to do, stay out of their Kool-aid and provide them with clear positive, recognition of what the D3 employee has done.
D-4 Peak Performer (Don’t know they know)
Low Consciousness
High Competence
(Unconscious Competence)
If you have Michael Jordan on your basketball team he is a D4 employee. D4 employees are competent, committed and are basically self-managed. A manger needs to adopt a delegating style at this level just tell them what needs to be done, you let them decide all of the specifics. While an employee at this level still needs a pat on the back, they will often respond better to higher order praise. This usually entails an increase in responsibility or autonomy. Asking them to train others or allowing them to select their job assignments. These are the ones who are team leaders, head cashier, lead stockers etc. They are also the ones who are likely to be promoted.
Managers need to recognize that this is not a static ladder of stages, employees can move up and down the ladder. As a manager, company changes moved me from D-4 to D-2 and maybe even D-1 overnight. I lost my boss, we were trying to catch up with two years of company change and I was faltering. What I held to be the tenants of my job were no longer valid. In a case as a manager where you change procedure and policy there needs to be an understanding that you have effectively made all of your employees D-1 again. The more drastic and wide sweeping the change the more drastic the shift in the employees competence as they take time to absorb, adjust and master the change.. A relatively minor change is a new smoking policy. “No employees may smoke within 50ft. of the front door.” While this is change it will only affect the smokers and it is relatively easy to introduce and enforce, quickly getting everyone back to D-3 or D-4. Change the means by which employees clock in, their pay to only direct deposit, the way that they process a warehouse shipment, the way that store recovery is done, change out their manager, and change out the way you perform price check s and the pricing structure or your add-ons and you now have a whole store of new hires.
Pace your change so that you are able to monitor compliance and acceptance, once you have moved your employees up to D-3 or D-4 then you are ready to move on more change without effecting the effectiveness of your operation. In addition knowing this helps you to understand where you are at. Even as an experienced manager if you are at a new employer you are a D-1 employee because you are not clear on all of your new employer’s policies and procedures. Channel all of you excitement and energy into learning the ropes and asking questions.
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