In my “ample” days of “modern employement”, as I like to call it, I’ve been able to glean a few ideas about running a business. I call it the “when I’m a parent” method of learning. It’s very difficult to really peg what you don’t know, but very easy and efficient to analyze what you do know. I’ve experienced just as much as any 28 year old woman has in the workplace, especially given my chosen career in the primarily male-dominant industry of Computer Science, and one of the biggest faults that seem to plague several of my positions is the feeling of insecurity.One of the fastest ways to generate slower productivity rates in an employee is to make them feel as if they could mess up at any moment, and if they did, they could be easily replaced. The truth is that everyone knows their replacement status anyway… we have colleagues and coworkers to remind us of this truth on a constant basis. Employees don’t need to be reminded of something they already know. Creating an insecure feeling amongst your team degenerates the processes to a point where many employees can no longer function on their task and getting it done, but rather who sees what and how they’re interpreting it.

This is a serious situation in many companies, and a sad predicament, to be sure. Why run a company if your primary goal is to keep people feeling insecure and down? Wouldn’t it be a better idea to run a company where all of your employees feel like they WANT to reach their maximum potential on the job?

For me, personally, I’ve found that I work best given rules, guidelines, and goals. I work least given micromanagement and over-reporting. It’s draining and a grand interruption in the flow of my work day to be constantly stopped for a status report.

In putting that “when I’m a parent” method into practice, knowing what I know about how I am most productive, I tend to want to treat those who work for me in the same manner. I feel I have been very successful thus far, and hope to continue to have the same respect I wish from others for those that I employ.

It’s a simple concept. Treat your employee like you want them and appreciate their hard work, and they’ll respond like-wise.