2 . STOP AND LISTEN ... NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE
One of the most important things you can do for your team members is to STOP what you ’ re doing when they reach out to you . Unless you ’ re in the middle of a phone call or getting ready to make a call at a predetermined time , no matter how busy you are , stop what you ’ re doing and give them your attention . I ’ ll repeat that . Stop what you ’ re doing and give them your attention .
Why ?
Because it ’ s tremendously powerful to your team . They KNOW you ’ re busy ! They see it ! So when you stop and listen to them , you ’ re making them feel that they matter to you …. and that helps build employee morale and loyalty . It WILL pay dividends over the long term .
If you don ’ t have time to show your team that you ’ re there for them , why should they make time for your customers ?
3 . PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES
They need the tools to do the job . Ask if they have them . Ask what you can do to make their job easier .
Many people want to be part of the process . When you ’ re putting together goals , make your team members part of the solution . Have them tell you what they think your goals should be and ask them to come up with ideas for how to achieve them . Invite them to offer their opinions . Ask “ What would you do ?” It makes them feel a part of the bigger picture . You may be surprised at what you hear .
Get back to them when you don ’ t have an answer for them right then . If you still don ’ t have an answer in a reasonable period of time , let them know that . They ’ ll appreciate it . A good example would be someone on your team has a question about insurance and you don ’ t know the answer . Let ’ s say you ’ re trying to get clarification but are having a hard time getting it from HR . Don ’ t wait for that associate to ask you about it again . Be pro-active and get back to them . Explain you ’ re looking into it but haven ’ t received an answer yet . It may not be a big deal to you , but to them it ’ s important . Make things like this a priority . Your team will notice and you ’ ll get better results & more loyalty from them . It will be more impactful than you realize .
Give the team the “ Why .” It isn ’ t enough to create a policy and not give the “ Why .” You can require them to follow that policy , but you need their buy-in for it to be successful . “ Because I said so ” didn ’ t work when we heard it from our parents and it won ’ t work on your team .
They want you to be fair and to be treated equally . Team members want you to remember they ’ re people with needs and feelings .
4 . DO NOT HANG OUT WITH TEAM MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF WORK .
This may be particularly difficult if you were promoted from within , but it is very hard to manage and , if necessary , discipline employees that you have a personal relationship with . It ’ s human nature . You may think you can be objective , but it never works . And no matter how nice you are , the team members you don ’ t associate with outside will know of those who you do . You don ’ t consciously play favorites , but perception is reality . Do you really need that distraction when things get uncomfortable ?
5 . DON ’ T AVOID THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS
There will be times when you have to make unpopular decisions . There may be times when you have to have difficult discussions . Don ’ t be that manager that puts their head in the sand .
They say ignorance is bliss , and that ’ s probably true . But if you ’ re going to be a successful LEADER , sometimes you have to make those hard decisions . Putting them off almost always makes the issue worse down the road . Your team will notice if you avoid addressing something . And you ’ ll lose respect and support from them . You have to remember that silence is acceptance . If you don ’ t address a certain behavior , it gives credence to that behavior .
“ The hard decisions never get easier by putting them off ”
About the author Abaasi Walugembe is Health Club Attendant with Four Seasons Abu Dhabi and has been Acting Director and Volunteer Coordinator for Big Mission Africa for the last seven years . He is an hotelier , humanitarian , HIV / Aids activist and a writer , as well as one of the most active people on the social media scene in Uganda . He likes to reach out to the next generation via his writings against HIV / AIDS and believes this will bring a change in his community . His passion is to fight against social injustices and take care of people living with HIV / AIDS , street children , orphans and the needy . He wants to be their voice and fight for their rights and wellbeing , helping and working with them to bring this disease to an end .
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