As managers, we try to hire the best people to get the job done. We evaluate a person's education and experience to see if they have the "technical skills" needed to do the job. We ascertain whether or not this is a person we'd like to work with. And we consider if the person is someone who will fit well into our team. Then we choose the person we think has the best chance of helping us be successful.

If we're good bosses, we'll then invest time and energy in making sure those new employees have the training, information and resources they need to understand the job and be successful. We will of course need to continue to invest in our employees after the initial learning period. But the biggest focus comes at the beginning of the time working together.

Once the person's been given the tools, we need to trust that we did hire the right person and that employee will be able to achieve the results that we're looking for. We need to set expectations about what success looks like and then we need to trust them to find ways to get there - even if it's not the exact way we would have chosen. Sure, we're going to need to be available and they won't know all the answers. Yes, it's important that their approach be legal, moral and ethical and within certain budgetary, quality and time boundaries - expectations we should have set when we invested our time early in the relationship. But we also need to trust that the employees have honorable intentions and are trying their best unless there's evidence that indicates otherwise.

Assume you are managing people who you "inherited." In other words, your employees were already working in their jobs when you came to be their manager. Do the principles above apply then?

Absolutely. Only in this case, unless you were promoted from within that group, you will need to invest time in finding out about the work performed: what does your staff believe is the information, tools and resources they need to be successful? What does your boss believe success looks like? How is the group measuring up? You will need to invest the time learning about the work environment and its struggles and successes before you can ascertain if things are the way they should be. If you do a good job of really listening to your staff, and show them trust, they will tell you what the challenges and, if you are sincere and if the culture of the organization hasn't sullied attitudes too severely, your staff will gladly tell you how to make things better - and will appreciate the fact you asked for their input. After all, the person closest to the problem is often the exact right person to solve the problem if given a chance.

Managing your people with trust could be compared to putting together a puzzle. As a manager, you need to give your people the information, materials and resources they need to do the job - if that job were building a puzzle, then you might need to provide the puzzle pieces, a flat surface large enough for the puzzle and the pieces, and adequate lighting to see the pieces. Similarly, as a manager in a work environment, there are items that your staffs need to be successful and as a manager it's your responsibility to make sure they have the tools they need.

As a manager, it's your responsibility to paint a picture of what the end product needs to look like. It's the same reason that manufacturers of puzzles put a picture of the completed puzzle on the box. People who put together puzzles want to know what they're working toward. Employees of a company want to know where the company is going and how their role fits into that bigger picture. This should excite you as a manager. If employees are invested enough in their jobs that they want to understand the company's direction and how they contribute to that mission, then the employees are going to be more committed to help you and the company achieve your goals. Engaged employees are productive, dedicated employees. So be ready with the answers when employees ask where the company is going and how the individual employees contribute to getting there.

About the Author:

Kelly Vandever is the president of Communications for Everyone, LLC, a company focused on helping leaders improve productivity while growing healthier work environments through more open communications for everyone. You can reach Kelly at kelly.vandever@CommunicationsForEveryone.com or by calling 770-597-1108 or visit her web site at http://www.CommunicationsForEveryone.com.

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