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Make sure they know what's best for business and make them feel appreciated for what they are doing. A healthy working environment is also a must to allow subordinates to join forces and work as a team in a way that best serves the enterprise.
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Perception is a very real issue for leaders. They must decide how they want employees to view them and act accordingly. Typically, leaders choose a combination of stoic, strong, closed-off, and loud-mouthed. Some even want to be seen as assholes. While this is a strategic decision — usually designed to maintain respect and avoid inappropriate situations — if you’re completely avoiding a personal connection with your employees, you’re making a big mistake.
Employees who feel valued and appreciated by their leaders are infinitely more likely to go above and beyond for the company and hold themselves accountable for their part of a project. Most importantly, they will be happier in their roles. If leaders disregard the importance of connecting with employees, they lose the benefit of a dedicated, long-term team.
Some find it difficult to personally connect with employees while still maintaining a position of authority — I think the trick is to simply show them you care. Below are ways leaders can demonstrate their appreciation for employees.
1. Go above and beyond to personally help them. It isn’t enough to simply assist your employees with work issues — a great leader should keep his eyes open for ways to help out with personal issues as well. My co-founder had difficulty trying to find a place to rent, and I saw her frustration every day. Instead of throwing money at the problem, I went to the complex where she wanted to live and talked to the manager. She got a spot within a week. To this day, I think she knows I would do anything in my power to support her, which has created a loyalty that’s hard to break and invaluable in a business relationship.
2. Relate to them; don’t act like you’re above them. If you’ve ever been in a culture where the executives have their own parking spaces and make you carry their luggage when traveling, you know firsthand what it feels like to think your leader doesn’t care about you. When I sense an employee’s having a problem, I think about what I’ve gone through and share with him how I did or didn’t overcome the situation. As a leader, employees sometimes place you on a pedestal, but putting yourself on their level by showing your own vulnerability and imperfections helps them overcome their challenges.
3. Show you care about their personal life. While you shouldn’t be chiming in about your employee’s new boyfriend/girlfriend or meeting up for an all-night drinking binge, it’s completely possible to show you care about your employee’s personal life without being creepy. When one of our employees postponed a honeymoon, we set up a little beach retreat at the office as a substitute. The trick is to let your team know that you don’t just see them as worker bees.
4. Show interest in their significant others. I’ve always been baffled by companies that don’t allow significant others at work events, like Christmas parties. Why would you not want to include your employee’s No.1 supporter? Work is a lot easier when you have support at home, so I want my employee’s partner to know I appreciate him or her as well.
5. Back them up with clients. We have a “no-a**hole” client policy in our office. If an employee complains about a client treating her poorly, we look into the situation and fire the client if necessary. It doesn’t matter how much a client is paying you — if you have talented employees who know you have their back, you’ll be rewarded with a higher return than your biggest client could ever offer you.
6. Do things that set you apart. Being creative with employee perks can go a long way. It doesn’t have to be costly; it just has to show that you’ve thought about making your employees’ personal or professional lives a little better. To get the creative juices flowing, here’s a list of unique perks other companies have offered employees.
7. Be real and transparent with them. If an employee asks for feedback, be honest — don’t BS him. That doesn’t mean you should be unkind, but shielding employees from the truth will do nothing but hurt them — and your company. Transparency is usually accompanied by a few uncomfortable conversations, but those conversations prove you care enough to deliver the hard truth, which will mean a lot to employees. As a bonus, that truthful and transparent feedback will also garner better results.
8. Make time for them. It’s hard for employees to feel appreciated when their leader is too busy for a simple chat. It can be easy to get caught up in day-to-day projects and appear too busy for the people around you, but by holding yourself accountable for regular conversations with your team members, employees will feel valued and respected.
9. Little things do matter. A quick email to your team after a win or a note of encouragement during a big sale can go a long way, especially if you’re working with a limited amount of time. I try to send an email around Thanksgiving or Christmas expressing my appreciation for each member of my team. It doesn’t have to be a “Jerry Maguire”-style email — just type a few sentences to explain why you value them. If you can’t think of anything you value about each employee, consider that a red flag.
. Create opportunities for new experiences. Pay attention and accommodate when an employee shows interest in different aspects of the business. Last year, we had an editor show interest in content strategy and eventually move into a leadership position within the company. Although we typically send salespeople to conferences — as that’s where potential clients will be — we sent our editor, giving her the opportunity to step outside her usual editorial responsibilities and use what she learned from meeting potential clients to better develop content strategy.
. Be aware of the expectations you set. You can do all of the above and let it go to waste if you don’t set proper expectations. Entrepreneurs are prone to getting overexcited and overpromising results to employees, which can lead to trouble. When a leader sets expectations too high to realistically meet, it unravels team morale even if she’s nailed the acts above.
Before your employees will believe in, or care about, the long-term vision of the company, its culture, or its success, they need to feel that you see each of them as a person — not just an “employee” to execute your to-do list. They need to feel that their leader — and the company — is invested in them. Once you show your team how much you value them, there’s nothing they won’t strive to accomplish.
The eight ways to help your employees support you because you know your employees well to gain their support in difficult times and in a time of need. A YOU attitude helps them understand you better.
Take time to listen and learn about your employees’ interests. This helps build relationships between employees and managers and can have an important impact on employee motivation and engagement.
Provide your employees with proper job training to help them excel in their career. Ensuring employees complete tasks accurately helps them achieve goals and provides motivation which leads to higher levels of engagement.
Employees are more engaged when they understand their roles and responsibilities within their position. And, an understanding of job responsibilities results in higher levels of performance and commitment to your organization.
Developing your people is important to your success as a manager. Opportunities for growth and development are a key driver of employee engagement as well as organizational success. Employees who grow and develop their skills are more likely to stay with a company and recommend the company to others. This helps the overall company build the talent and teams needed to be successful.
Recognition from a manager is a very important motivator for employees. It encourages positive behavior and helps promote long-term top performance.
Teamwork grows out of a culture of openness and trust between managers and employees. When employees feel they are part of a team within their company, they invest more time and energy into their job.
Today’s best leaders, managers and employees are customer-focused. They understand and anticipate the needs of both internal and external customers. They meet and exceed customer needs with timely, efficient and economical solutions.
Our role as a manager is to support, inspire and coach your employees to their highest levels of performance. Coach your employees so they understand their responsibilities and your expectations. Managers who provide regular coaching increase overall engagement among their employees.
After an employee survey is conducted, employees are interested in viewing the results and participating in post-survey action planning. Nothing destroys a survey process faster than lack of action. Lack of action also reduces employee engagement.
The other ways are making up a situation – a difficult one and letting each one see what it is to listen and comment on it. Some may be positive and few may be negative but this builds up the team and incites them to be one to achieve the best practice in a an area of expertise needed. Also making an employee a problem person and see how others support you to gain an insight and improve this person or make or break them. Again this makes the best practice work better.
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They have to well understand and fully aware of the organization's vision, mission and strategic objectives and thier team role in achieving these objectives via the the organization's strategic plan.
I would second the opinion of Mr. Nidhal Bilel
i support my subordinates by giving them advices as a friend and not as their leader or as their boss because i think first you are a human and then you are a leader or a boss
By creating peaceful / positive atmosphere workplace i.e. build & maintain personal relationships, intercations and communication.
This means that by supporting each other, they will be united an will work as a team to achieve their goals more easily. Teamwork in any organization is the key in working harmoniously and it makes the job easier and lighter as all members of the team are enjoying working together.
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