A common feeling among leaders is a desire to connect with their employees and build trust and meaningful relationships.
By getting “in the trenches”, assuming the best in others, and creating opportunities to receive and respond to feedback, leaders can establish and maintain strong relationships with their employees, which ultimately contributes to a positive team culture and a thriving organization.
Get in the Trenches
I once heard the CEO of a large organization say that he’d never ask his team members to do something that he wasn’t also willing to do. This attitude is one of humility and inspires humility in others as well. Step into the uncomfortable, model humility, and be willing to make mistakes if you want your employees to do the same. For example, if you’re encouraging team members to use a certain new process or tool, get involved and model it for them!.
Assume the Best
When providing feedback to employees, always assume the best. Give the benefit of the doubt and seek to understand. For example, if you notice an employee looking at their cell phone during a meeting or work hours, rather than immediately reprimanding them, assume they are responding to an urgent client matter or perhaps dealing with their own emergency.
Start feedback conversations about such incidents with neutrality and “I notice” statements. For example, “I noticed you had your cell phone out during the meeting today. Was everything okay? Can you tell me about that?”. Employees need to believe that you’re their biggest cheerleader! Assuming the best in them before jumping to conclusions or critiquing behavior will help your employees feel that you believe in them and are rooting for their success. As a result, they will receive feedback with greater humility and an open mind.
Listen and Respond
Lastly, create opportunities for your employees to give YOU feedback as well. Anonymous feedback surveys or Pulse Checks are a perfect way to open lines of communication. We have found that employees are more likely to respond anonymously. To that end, make sure that you are providing a way for team members to feel safe to express their honest opinions.
Furthermore, once you receive feedback from your employees, respond to it. Reassure employees that you’ve heard them and will take any necessary action. Demonstrate your willingness to change what you can based on the needs your employees express. For more on this topic, consider resources on the building blocks of successful organizations and trust. Additionally, here is some information about tools for gathering employee feedback as well as some ideas for bonus questions you can ask.
We hope you didn’t miss our event, Sustaining Strong Teams: Strategies for Employee Retention, which took place on Thursday, December 7th, 2023 from 11 – 12 PM CT. If you did, don’t worry! You can still catch the recap here.
This one-hour session explored the top concerns and trends we’ve seen in employee feedback. We dove into when those trends escalate so that you can better anticipate the needs and concerns of your team. Attendees left with practical, implementable ideas to fuel their team’s satisfaction and commitment to their organization.
