Putting the P back into People

These two mindsets are not an either/or situation. Instead, managers exist on the diminisher-multiplier continuum, sometimes even acting as accidental diminishers without intending to. The following model of the 3-P strategy creates a guideline for effective strategies that a manager can use depending on the situation or type of individual. These three simple tenets help you re-focus on boosting the highest potential from your team:

Push: It is said that if you are not pushing your team, you are leaving productivity on the table. Employees may not always know how capable they are, but as a leader, you can take the initiative to shed light on their qualities.

However, it is tricky to push your employees. You have to push them to achieve results and boost performance. But if you push them too far, they might get disengaged and quit.

Pushing is about motivating people to do better than they think they could. For example, if you want someone to learn a particular skill they are averse to or undertake a task they’re afraid of, you will use the PUSH strategy. PUSH comes from the outside, for you want to build a quality in a person they do not yet possess. While using the PUSH strategy, you might have to play the Diminisher mindset role or Authoritative leadership role.

Pull: Pull is about bringing the best out of people, helping them unearth their potential, pulling out their hidden talents and gifts. It talks of revealing the intrinsic, unleashing what one already has. For instance, encouraging an individual team member to pursue their niche interests that they aspire to do. You use the PULL strategy when you want a team member to soar above the horizon using their dormant skills and capabilities. Sometimes people are stuck due to past experiences, boredom, environmental factors, personal issues, or lack of opportunities. PULL can help reignite their fire and seek to utilize their inner strengths to grab every opportunity they get but feel hesitant about.

Patience: We have all heard the phrase ‘patience is a virtue’. Never is it a greater virtue than when dealing with your employees. Being patient requires empathy and a certain level of emotional intelligence. It is not easy to be patient with your team members in the face of all the pressures of meeting business goals and delivering results, but a multiplier tries nonetheless. Realistically, one cannot expect individuals to bring their A-game all the time.