“At first you might have to require or ‘strongly encourage’ your people to meet with certain clients, vendors, etc.—while leading through your own example, of course,” Harvey instructs. “But over time, your employees will begin to develop strong, mutually fulfilling business relationships, and they’ll probably also see how much more effective communicating in real time can be. (No misread email tones or long waits for responses, and increased trust!) In most cases, job satisfaction will go up, and your people will start putting in facetime voluntarily.”
There’s an attitude, but it doesn’t involve gratitude. Think back on the recent interactions you’ve had with your employees. Chances are, they included phrases like, “I need you to do this,” “Please have that report to me by the end of the day,” and maybe even, “We need to talk about how you can improve.” But did any of those interactions include the words “thank you”? If not, you might be unwittingly contributing to your company’s bad mood.
“Even if they’d never say so, workers want to know that they’re doing well and that their efforts are valued,” Houlihan points out. “Don’t take it for granted when your employees put in extra hours, land a coveted client, or turn out an incredibly well-thought-out proposal, for example. Make sure they know that you have noticed their efforts and that you’re grateful for their knowledge and help. In return you’ll gain their buy-in, loyalty, enthusiasm, and over-and-beyond efforts.”
People can’t seem to execute. When your company isn’t able to meet its goals, your first inclination might be to blame your employees for being unable to execute. And in turn, that blame will probably make an already bad mood worse. So before doling out accusations, say Houlihan and Harvey, you should take a look in the mirror and make sure you aren’t using a leadership style that is keeping people from getting things done.
“Do you find it difficult to delegate important projects?” asks Houlihan. “Do you insist on running every new idea through legal before letting an employee pursue it? Are you a micromanager?
“If you engage in any of these behaviors, it’s important to stop, step back, and show your people that you trust them to make important decisions and do important work,” he continues. “When you do, you’ll give your team the freedom they need to help move the company forward—and you’ll free up a lot of time and energy for yourself, too.”
Nobody bothers to contribute new ideas. If most of your employees’ ideas get stuck in compliance limbo or are slapped down (or appropriated by) supervisors, even the most innovative employees will eventually become discouraged or frustrated to the point of not speaking up with future ideas.
“Of course, smart leaders should always look out for their company’s best interests,” says Harvey. “But be honest: Are you being overly cautious? Are you afraid of the change the new idea could bring around? Not only should you give each idea employees bring to you fair consideration, it’s smart to proactively ask your people for their thoughts on how the company can grow and improve. At Barefoot, some of our most valuable innovations came about because our people knew that their thoughts were valued and would be taken seriously.”
Your turnover is high. There’s a myth that when company cultures are serious and businesslike productivity improves. But the reality is, productivity improves when people enjoy being at work and enjoy the work they’re doing.
“Don’t worry, we’re not saying that you have to put a basketball court and bowling alley in your facility, or else,” clarifies Houlihan. “We’re simply pointing out that when you strive to make it fulfilling and fun to work for you, you’ll create productive, loyal employees. At Barefoot, we covered ‘fulfilling’ by putting serious thought into matching employees with positions that utilized their strengths and skills, and asking for their input regarding how they thought they could be most valuable to the company.
“As for ‘fun,’ we gave plenty of time off, we celebrated birthdays, we let employees choose their own titles (puns were encouraged), and we strove to make our office an enjoyable place to work: light-hearted, cheerful, and sometimes, a little silly.”
It’s every man for himself. Generally, all but the most frustrated, burned-out employees can manage to turn on the charm when they’re interacting with clients—so don’t assume that you’re worry-free because your team was chipper during a sales pitch. A much better way to gauge your organization’s overall mood is to observe how employees interact with each other.
