Go Ahead, Make Their Day
Are you taking time to genuinely connect with your employees?
A few weeks ago I attended a panel discussion about the impact of executive actions on employee engagement. One of the executive panelists, Steve Bigari spoke about the importance of really caring about employees as individual people. By dressing as waiter and serving coffee before the meeting, he illustrated the point that leaders often don’t see the “invisible” people in their own organizations.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Bigari’s demonstration lately because I am preparing to teach a class on motivating and retaining employees. While there are many aspects of motivation to be explored, I think the most fundamental point is that every employee needs to be seen and know that he/she is respected and valued as a person.
Patrick Lencioni, author of The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, asserts that anonymity is a driving force in what makes people miserable at work. He writes: “People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known.”
I agree with Lencioni. In my experience, every employee wonders, “Does anyone care about me as a person? Do I belong here?” The answers go a long way toward determining motivation, engagement, retention, and productivity.
In fact, the 2007 Tower’s Perrin Global Workforce Study study of 90,000 employees found that the #1 element any employee wants (across all generations) is senior management interest in his or her well-being.
So, if you are a leader at any level – go ahead and make someone’s day. Take some time to check in with people one-on-one. You might try a technique we call the “Take Ten Check-In.” Take jut 10 minutes a day to ask one person how he/she is doing. Make it about the person – not just the work. You will make his/her day.
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