“You are 12 minutes late – if this happens again you won’t be having a job here anymore!”
This is what a man had to digest after working six months for a company without ever having been late.
On top of this claim, the boss yelled at him in front of the entire team.
It is a sad truth that some of you might have experienced and you probably would no longer work there anyway, right?
This was a story I have recently heard about, and needless to say, the man was already combing the internet for a new job.
If the boss would have cared and asked why he is late, he would probably have learned about the recent complications regarding his health and personal life.
So, immediately, the age-old question comes up if people leave jobs or bosses. Toxic leadership is a phenomenon in our times and I am always surprised how organizations are still tolerating this kind of behaviour in a progressing work world of emotional intelligence, empathy-driven team-leading, diversity thinking, and care.
I want to give you some self-guiding questions to reflect on when you are in a management and leading position to avoid that people will leave YOU, as work environments are still a people business. From human to human.
1. Do You Know The People You Work With?
Are you aware of who the individuals in your team are and what drives them?
What are they extraordinarily good at?
What do they love to do to recharge?
You can certainly respect personal boundaries and nevertheless get to know people by enhancing communication with team members and asking genuine questions to find out about personality traits, strengths and passion. There are numerous tools to engage people in connecting with you, such as team video-chats, and non-work-related fun channels to provide simple access when not in-office and during times like these.
2. How Are You Appreciating The People You Work With?
What was the last appreciative deed from you to your team?
What kinds of initiatives are you having in place to show appreciation?
Do you give public recognition for achievements that are not only result- but effort-driven?
During individual coaching for new leaders, I encourage people to think of feasible appreciative bits as initiatives to motivate people to join fun activities together that include milestone celebrations, happy hours, “introduce your pet” days (works even virtually!!), health and wellness vouchers, AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions, in-office snacks et cetera.
Use your creativity to think of initiatives to show your appreciation by rewarding people based on individual interests.
If you draw a blank, get some inspiration here.
3. Do You Deeply Care For The People You Work With?
So, what are you doing to take care of your folks?
What are you doing for informal team building?
What are you offering for development and self-improvement?
Do you have an open ear when people are not happy with their job or tasks?
How much do you care about sentiments and moods in your teams?
Are you taking feedback and suggestions from your team members seriously?
Your team members are your most valuable asset. Without them, you would not be where you are right now. Every single member of the workforce has their value to contribute to the organization’s overall success.
Investing in others’ strengths instead of trying to work on weaknesses gives your team the power of leveraged experience and knowledge. Leadership means combining the power of people being good at different things into one great workforce.
And work does not feel like work when people are “living” their personal strengths.
If you want to know how people feel about the company and leadership, then try using surveys as an ideal method to gauge overall sentiments and where there are improvements needed.
Whatever you are planning where you want to go with your team, knowing people you work with, mutual feedback and empowerment are crucial for retention and progress.
Even if you are faced with major changes and unprecedented situations – the team has your back, if you are driving an open, engaging feedback culture. You might find some good suggestions and considerations brought up by the people you work with, such as what they want to consider or improve about themselves to match a new situation or to fit into a new role or responsibility.
>> I want you to get it right. I am happy to assist you by systematically walking you through some of the questions above.
