Periodically, at individual consultations or in a conversation with managers, who are at their moment of frustration, I hear something like “why should I earn for everyone” or a sharper phrase “he doesn’t do anything, but I should pay him a salary”.
It made me think about such an aspect of Leadership, as Generosity. In practice, managers pay not only money. Not for all employees money is a decisive criterion. So, is it worth being generous? And what exactly are we sharing with employees?
Attention
You know your employees by name (I'm not kidding). You know where their offices are (if they have one, of course), what their salary is, where they live, married or not, whether there are children, etc.
You greet him/her when you meet, rather than passing with a glassy look or with your head deep in your shoulders.
You are interested in how the things are at work and in life. And listen to the answer (again, not kidding).
In general, you let him/her know that he/she exists in your "universe."
Time
This is probably one of the most expensive resource, which managers have. And the staff knows it! Use your time as a reward and spend it with the best employees. Talk, ask, listen, try to understand what motivates them. You can also learn something new yourself or figure out how to improve the performance of weaker colleagues.
Knowledge
Ideally, we want the employees themselves to know everything and preferably also tell us what the best act in a particular situation would be (but this is not certain, not all managers are so open J). But in practice, each company has its own know-how, style of work, principles and rules, so it makes sense patiently and repeatedly telling "how we do it here." Tell them what you know. Do not skimp on the information.
Experience
Knowledge is gold, but experience has not let anyone down yet! Therefore, do not wait for a mistake in order to lecture your people, share your stuffed "bumps" (after all, we usually call as experience those difficult situations that have taught us a lot) so that your people do not step on this rake.
Attitude & Respect
Do you know what your people are dreaming about and afraid of? What drives them - the desire for growth or a quarrelsome wife? What is their stage in life? It is no secret that during personal upheavals (illness of a close relative, divorce or wedding, etc.), productivity drops. This is a pickup for a manager - tighten the screws or hear them well. And if you decide to support, how can you do it?
Praise and compliments
Find occasion to praise employees often. Sincerely. No reason? Then why are you wasting yours and theirs time? Or do you think that people will seek a supportive look for years? Or do you think that they already know that you trust them? Are proud of them? Eventually, just be glad that they are with you. I do not think that I will rediscover America for you now, but still - praise your employees often, we all need it!
Values
Personal values of managers (and owners) often form the basis of company values. And also, are one of the most significant factors in the formation of organizational culture. Therefore, do not hesitate to “talk for life”, let yourself move away from working moments and discuss more personal questions with the employee. Of course, you shouldn’t devote details of your own family life, but the attitude to the family in general, education, politics, religion or any questions that are important for you and in your company, will fully reveal the values of the employees and allow you to understand how much your global outlook on life coincides.
Money
Yes, whatever one may say, but if the company earns and the amount of work grows, employees will expect a salary increase. Or at least bonuses for good work. And no matter how much we want (if there are such desires), to increase internal motivation and work mainly for the idea, the remuneration is one of the keys, and for some people, the decisive factor, especially for family workers with long list of obligations.
Successes
And even the success of the company does not belong entirely to you! It is not “I have done,” but “we.” And even better - "my team." If people do not see their contribution to the overall result, it can be a signal “they cope without me” or “they did not appreciate my efforts”. The next thought might be "why to work hard."
Way too long list, you might probably think! Here I have to tell you two things and maybe you will not like them.
- I do not remember the phrase literally, but the essence is: "Your goal is small, if you can achieve it alone." The moral here is that if we want to do something worthwhile, without a team we won’t reach it. Conclusion - you need to become a Leader, whom people are ready and willing to follow.
- Only few have aroused the desire to follow the stingy on praise, the respectful attitude and the salary boss.
Investment, not a sacrifice
Believe me, I do not live in a world of fantasy and unicorns. On the contrary, almost every day I come across situations where employees and the team are the # 1 task for managers. And every time I try to change their attitude from the position of a voluntary or forced victim to an investment in their own company.
Look at all the above points as an investment in your people, in your department, in your business, in YOUR RESULT.
First, it will remove excess of emotionality.
Secondly, you do not invest in anything. So with the staff. It may take time until a real team is gathered from the group of employees.
Third, as with any investment, contains a component of the return.
That is, you look more closely at whom to invest. And also you can sit down and calculate what ROI (return on investment) will suit you.
If you are curious, you can “rewind” and appreciate your best employees, as well as how generous you were with them, especially at the beginning of cooperation.
I sincerely believe that Generosity is ONE OF the important aspects of Leadership. It may take some time before your investment returns, and the compliments will become true. As a result, you will receive a team that will support you on the way to a hairy goals, because we all have more than one story when we went to work on Sunday or stayed late in the office, so as not to let down our boss and company.
Julia Stavrou,
Executive & Leadership Coach
