Employees who are assertive, outgoing, and confident are often credited as the most capable, collaborative, and productive members of the team. Being quiet and reserved, on the other hand, is often associated with negative traits like disinterest and low contribution.
In reality though, more often than not, those quieter employees are actually major assets to the team – they just happen to require a different managerial approach. Whether they’re more introverted in their nature, new to the team, or hold a more junior status, at one point or another, you’ll likely find yourself managing essential contributors that don’t speak up during group brainstorming sessions or take credit for their direct impact.
In order to make all your team members feel seen, boost engagement, and support long-term retention, you need to know how to adapt your management style to meet the needs of each employee. So, how can you help your quiet performers succeed?
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How to support your quiet performers
1. Ask them what they need
As a manager, it’s important not to make assumptions about how your employees like to receive feedback, recognition, and support. Most of the time, when you ask individual workers how you can make them feel most heard and supported, they’ll have valuable tips to share. That being said, this kind of conversation can be intimidating, especially for more quiet performers. So, it’s important not to approach the conversation without context or warning. Reach out beforehand and let your employee know that you’re interested in hearing how they want to receive your feedback and support. After giving them the heads up, schedule a meeting to discuss in more detail, and offer them the option to share their thoughts in writing if that would make them feel more comfortable.
2. Understand why they’re not speaking up
There’s often a good explanation for why an employee is quiet in meetings or tends to fall through the cracks when credit is allotted. Do some digging and see if you can understand where this actually stems from. Sometimes, people are simply more introverted, in which case you’ll need to find alternative ways to help them contribute and feel recognized for their impact. However, silence can also be due to the fact that the person is new on the team or more junior and doesn’t feel confident enough to speak up. When this is the case, it’s important to make an active effort to connect with them one-on-one to help them build their confidence. Let them know that they are here for a reason and that the team would truly benefit from their input.
In group meetings, help share the mic when it seems your team members have something to say and be sure to respond to their contributions to ensure their thoughts are properly acknowledged. If the call is remote, you can message them privately before giving them the stage. If the meeting is in person, you can try making eye-contact to first gauge the situation. Those small efforts on your end can effectively convey to an employee that you see them and care about their perspective.
3. Create smaller forums
For team projects or brainstorming sessions, try to break the larger group up when possible so that there are fewer voices and contributors working together at a given time. In smaller groups, your less outspoken employees will have more space to speak up and can feel more comfortable sharing their ideas.
4. Identify their strengths
Take the time to get to know each of your employees and where they provide the greatest value. Once you recognize those key strengths, identify opportunities for each of them to utilize those skills. You may wind up playing around with key responsibilities a bit to maximize their impact, which can be a great thing for your team’s overall success.
5. Recognize their contributions
It’s easy to give credit where credit is due when your employee is very vocal about their contributions. For your quieter performers on the other hand, it’s not always obvious how much they’re doing behind the scenes. So, during your one-on-one syncs, ask them to walk you through what they’re working on and about the elements of which they’re especially proud. Create space to recognize their personal wins and be sure to spotlight those achievements whenever possible in a larger forum to make them feel acknowledged and valued.
6. Check in regularly
Schedule one-on-one time with your employees to find out what’s working and where you could offer additional support. In these meetings, be very intentional about not dominating the conversation; really give your team members the floor and be sure to actively listen. Taking the time to receive and implement their feedback is the best way to make everyone, even your quiet performers, know that you see, hear, and appreciate them.
Manage your team better with monday.com
Being a great leader means helping your team connect the dots to drive greater impact. A Work OS like monday.com makes this simple. When you can easily see who’s working on what and when deliverables can be expected, you can focus on more important things like supporting your team members.
Get in touch with our team of experts today to learn how we can help you be a more effective leader.