How often have you routinely been given gifts by your subordinates? If you are not receiving gifts from your employees regularly, you are missing out. 

If you are currently in a leadership role, I ask that you do a little reminiscing. Think for a moment about your professional journey into leadership. Over the course of your professional history, how often have those who report directly to you routinely given you a gift? I am not referring to some holiday, draw-your-name-out-of-a-hat type gift. In fact, my question is not about anything material. I am asking about something intangible and much more valuable. So as not to draw this out, I am asking about the gift or time & effort (AKA) – DISCRETIONARY EFFORT.  

Discretionary effort is defined as the action that individuals voluntarily make, beyond what is required of them. Actions that an employee gives over and above what is asked of them, because they want to, not because they have to in order to not be fired. These actions move the organization forward further than it would go if the employee had done only what was required of them. The average leader is satisfied when employees are simply compliant with the directions they are given, or with the job description they were hired under. Admittedly, compliance* does get the job done, but…it makes it is exceedingly difficult to overcome competition, overcome demanding situations or innovate with just compliance. 

Over the years I have helped clients create strategies for building supervisor/subordinate relationships that foster the gift of discretionary effort. There are several strategies, I will focus on three.  

Compelling Vision 

You might expect that I am suggesting that you create a compelling vision for your organization or your department. Instead, I teach clients how to create a compelling vision for each of their subordinates. A vision (compelling or not) already exists for the organization. Does one exist (that you created) for your employees? Clarify your intentions to help them grow. Talk about how you see your contributions to their professional development. 

Trust

Building trust is a complicated endeavor. There are several layers involved, but for brevity on this topic, I will focus on only one aspect. For each subordinate – one at a time, provide meaningful feedback that demonstrate that you care about their professional growth and wellbeing. All employees have goals, dreams and aspirations. One method for demonstrating concern for wellbeing is to recognize effort (but reward results). Your subordinates cannot control all of the variables that affect results but they can always control the amount of effort they expend.   

Communicate

Communication skills colors all facets of leadership. On this topic, focus on communicating about you. Sprinkle conversations with talk about your values, your expectations and your professional goals. Give them hope for their career by sharing where you stumbled and how you regained your footing. Help them get to know you as a person, more than a role. 

Employees are unlikely to give discretionary effort to your organization, they are much more likely to give discretionary effort to the person who is their immediate supervisor. 

It is an incredibly good thing to get gifts on days other than your birthday! Remember, it is not really a gift if you asked for it or demanded it. 

---

*Compliance can create its own set of problems: 

• Benign Compliance = ONLY doing EXACTLY what was told to them 
• Malicious Hostile Compliance = Passive aggressive method for punishing the supervisor  

Supervisors typical react to various types of compliance 

• Deliberately compliant – ignore the employee, they are operating within parameters 
• Accidentally compliant – (see above) no effective difference for supervisor
• Accidentally non-compliant – assume incompetence, chastise employee
• Deliberately non-compliant – set a course to exit them from the organization