Skip to main content

Respecting Your Employees

Happy February! Is "walking the walk" a tired old cliche or a bold new concept? Very few managers today are receiving formal management training. As a result, many are poor communicators and weak in their delegation and leadership skills.

According to a Gallup poll, 25% of U.S. employees would fire their bosses if they could. Why? Because many manager set high service standards for their employees, yet fail to abide by those same standards.

If you are a manager, you are in an excellent position to lead by example. Your employees will only respect your authority if they observe your excellent customer service skills on a daily basis. Customer loyalty must be a top-down initiative.

Here are five ways you can earn greater respect and increase employee loyalty:

1. Always give performance reviews and salary increases on the promised dates. Employees have those dates memorized. They won't feel valued and will resent you if their review dates are postponed or forgotten.

2. Have empathy for your employees. Show compassion by being flexible with hours and time off so they can tend to family emergencies. or illnesses.

3. Be a mentor and coach by sharing your knowledge and experience. Explain to them how business decisions were made, especially when it involves them.

4. Trust your employees and be willing to delegate projects based on their strengths. If you tend to be a control freak, learn to let go and get out of the habit of mico-managing people.

5. Let your employees know they're valued. Smile at them, be approachable, remember the names of their family members and sincerely thank them every chance you get.

The only times that employees can successfully challenge your authority is when they see that you are not practicing what you preach.

Keep in mind that your employees are your primary customers. Treat them with the same respect and caring service that you deliver to your external customers. Remember that you set the tone for your entire department. Your employees are watching you! This month, we started an "appreciate your colleague" exercise. It has been a way for all of us in the office to recognize each other. We hope you had a wonderful February and please let us know how we can help you in the upcoming months!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coaching

Happy June!  Summer, here we come!  This month I want to discuss coaching .  I have talked before about utilizing a coach.  Now, I want to talk about being a coach.  I have been blessed with three different coaches across my nine-plus years with ProRecruiters.  They have challenged me to grow by evaluating what I’ve done and what I’m doing in order to determine what I will do going forward. Unfortunately, I do not always serve as a coach to my own team. Creating an environment in which you function as coach to your team benefits everyone. It helps you to see what’s working, what’s not, and potential areas of growth. It allows team members to discover their potential by being challenged to excel. It reveals potential problems while they are still “potential” problems.  And the cherry on top: it builds camaraderie throughout the team. As I have researched coaching, I’ve learned several foundational principles that must be in play if you want to cr...

History of the Christmas Tree

Wow, it is hard to believe that Christmas is upon us and the new year is right around the corner! All the decorations and Christmas trees are up and in full swing, but have you ever wondered where some of the traditions come from? Why do Americans and other countries decorate their houses? Why do they buy gifts and eat a feast? What about the Christmas tree, where did this tradition come from? The article below gives you 8 fun facts on the history of the Christmas tree and why it has become a tradition: "8 Fun Facts About the History of Christmas Trees Now that the holiday season is in full swing those who celebrate Christmas (and other December holidays) are trimming their trees and homes with festive decorations. But, have you ever wondered where the  Christmas tree tradition  comes from? Here are a few fun facts about the history of the Christmas tree tradition: No. 1:  Long before Christianity, evergreen plants and trees had a special meaning for people in th...

Gratitude & Leadership Qualities

Happy November! This month is always a month of thankfulness for me.   As I enter the holiday season and hit the final stretch of the year, I am always reminded of what is really important to me. As I  reflect on this year, I am grateful not only for the chance to  own a business but also for the journey that owning a business has taken me on.  Being a small business owner is tough, but it has taught me so much over the last 8 years about myself and about others.  We have put over  three thousand people to work since inception and I am truly grateful for the chance to help so many. I recently had the chance to catch up with a friend and I shared with him how blessed I feel that we have been in business for 8 years, I also talked about how hard it has been.   We talked about the journey of owning and running  a business.  While the journey is what I am most grateful for, it is what has been the most challenging.  In the beg...