January 11, 2010
There are gender differences in communication at work and also in the way managers engage both genders. Below is an article by Cindy Marsh who is the president and COO of PDI.
A study of 1,500 male and female managers found that there is no magic bullet for keeping key managers. Still, we found insights that organizations need to keep in mind to motivate and retain top performers.
The study found:
Males and females value different forms of recognition. For instance, men place greater importance on “financial and career prospects” than females, regardless of leadership level. For their part, women were much more likely than men to place higher importance on being recognized at work and gaining a reputation for expertise.
It’s unwise to assume you know what motivates people professionally.
You need to ask them. Ask your high performers, both men and women, to share their work aspirations, and fully explore what they mean.
Promotions should be based on an individual’s current performance as well as their potential to fill a new role. Don’t make judgments just on how obvious they are being about their desire to advance.
Employees need help to make the right choices for their own particular goals and aspirations. Our study found that women will often develop deep expertise in a certain niche area valuable to their employer. In some cases, these individuals cultivate such expertise solely because they get fulfillment from being seen as an “expert,” but in other cases such specialization is undertaken as a way to stand out as a high achiever suitable for promotion.
Financial and career prospects are just one of many potential motivators. Smart businesses will proactively seek input from these players on what else might make their careers more fulfilling. Examples of alternative motivators include opportunities for new learning, work on cross-functional teams, flexible scheduling, and autonomy in accomplishing a desired corporate outcome.
Programs that will help you identify high-potential employees should be considered: that is, individuals who would excel at a job two levels above their current position. Offer these future key players targeted development opportunities to help them prepare for the next level.
Retention efforts should start early The fight to attract and retain star talent is fierce, and losing the fight could have catastrophic impact on your bottom line. Put a people strategy in place to keep consistent flow in your “leadership pipeline”—all the way from front-line leaders to the C-suite.