Visualize your best employee. Now let’s make some assumption based on this employee. I am guessing that you know 75% – 80% of what your best employee is doing. I am guessing that your best employee knows 75% – 80% what you want him/her to do and that they are doing it 75% – 80% of the time. Lastly, I am assuming that those 75% – 80% are similar but not identical.

Of course, there is also the list the employee wants to work on and that you do not want them to work on!!!

Concerning your best employee, would you agree with the following statements: [1] you have a clear expectation of their job description [2] they have a similarly clear expectation and [3] they usually work on those defined and mutually agreed tasks/goals.

If each of those three statements is 90% accurate, the resultant is 72% harmony. If the three of those statements is 80% accurate, the resultant is only 50% harmony. Big difference right? I think we would agree that having a clear agreement is critical to success.

I have read studies that show the best employee will individually:

• Make the best decision 30% – 50% of the time

• Make a good decision 67% of the time

• Make not so good decisions 20%+

• Make no decision the rest of the time

Multiply these out and the best case scenario for a “good” employee – 90% x 90% x 90% x 67% = 49% – gives you a 49% chance that the best decision on tasks and goals you want completed. The more probable result is not as high given 80% x 80% x 80% x 67% = 35%.

All these stats apply to your good employees. As you can imagine, bad employees are worse and can even be negative. Why? Our offices are too far apart. Studies show if your office is more than 25% away from someone, the communications accuracy drops. Email isn’t helping, but the telephone call does. Other leading factors include: We do not have clear succinct job descriptions with 3 to 5 short understandable points (25 words or less); The job descriptions are not measurable; and/or we don’t review them often enough.

If we want to fix the communication issues above, we must continue to do Management & Leadership Training that includes both Communication and Listening Skills development. Not just a one-hour speech, rather a session focused on habit changes, or time-spaced class structured around listening, communicating, decision-making, and team work.

Face-to-face daily Gemba walks reviewing an employees measurables or metrics will help tremendously (if you are not familiar with Gemba walks they are a fundamental part of lean manufacturing and include the action of going to see the actual process, understand the work, ask questions, and learn). Team decision making on critical issues helps employees make the best decision more often, but management and leadership training are the key.