Achieving Your Goals Depends on Having Strong Employee Relationships
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.”
– Doug Conant, former president and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company
As movement accelerates in the business environment, there are lots of opportunities out there – not just for your business, but potentially for your team members as well. Take stock of your role as leader of the business and evaluate your relationships with each employee.
Check In to Prevent Check-Outs
Do you really know how your employees feel about their jobs? Have you asked them lately?
Open, candid communication eliminates misunderstanding or isolation. If you aren’t chatting with your people on a regular basis, it can feel awkward to engage in a casual conversation and it can be uncomfortable for both parties to speak openly. Make a practice to chat regularly with each employee and you’ll lay the groundwork for a strong relationship.
Create opportunities for chatting with individuals on your team and getting to know how they’re doing in their jobs. Here are some questions you might ask:
- Are you happy in your work?
- Are there any obstacles to performing your work well?
- Any thoughts on how we might do things differently in your area?
- Are there other areas of our business that interest you?
- Are there skills you’d like to learn to take on more or new responsibilities in your work?
Listen and be open to what your employees have to say, even if their ideas won’t be adopted. Practice the “Yes, and” response instead of “No, but.” The “Yes, and” response comes from the world of improv and it’s a way of building on ideas collaboratively. Saying yes to the idea isn’t a commitment to the idea; it’s saying yes you are thoughtfully considering this idea and how it might work by adding on to it. Once you’ve identified the possibilities, you can evaluate it further at another time.
Another way you can demonstrate you’re hearing what your employees have to say is by acting promptly to fix what you can. If they’ve identified a difficult situation, update them on how you’ve dealt with it.
Now is the time to let your team know how much you value their commitment and service to your business and help ensure they are tempted by other opportunities.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk:
