Employee Satisfaction: Valuing Your Team
Do you know how to show people you care? It's not always easy to let people know we care, but there are some simple things we can do. In this episode, Andrea and Michelle share powerful ways to show people you care and make them feel like they’re contributing to something worthwhile.
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Employee Satisfaction: Valuing Your Team
It's no secret that having strong team dynamics is essential for any successful business. The way you interact with your employees can have a significant impact on their productivity.
Your employees and teammates are the lifeblood of your company. They are the ones who keep a business alive. Think of it like a machine, each part of the machine is one of your employees, and each piece is crucial for the machine's functioning, so you must keep all the parts working correctly; the best way for your team to produce results is if they feel comfortable and valued. But how do you show your team that you care?
As a leader, it is crucial to establish a connection with your team, to create an environment where they feel safe, valued, and appreciated. Caring for your employees also means challenging them to learn and grow.
In today´s episode of The Leadership Hustle, we review the key actions that you, as a business leader, can take to create an optimal space for your employees where they feel cared for.
Make them feel safe:
A sense of safety and security is an essential foundation for any working relationship. This means more than just providing a physically secure work environment. It's vital to foster an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable speaking openly and honestly without fearing judgment.
Have an environment where the team can share their feelings, fears, and dreams within the company's projects. As the leader, you must be an active listener, validate their emotions, and offer a non-judgmental space. Create a safe space where your employees can feel vulnerable and tell you about it.
Value them and their contributions:
One way to make a safe space is by acknowledging and appreciating people's efforts, both big and small. Try to express gratitude for the things your employees do, value, and recognize their accomplishments. By doing so, you help boost their self-esteem and encourage them to be better.
We all know how important it is to have a confident team. And one of the most underrated ways to boost that confidence is through the simplest of gestures: a few kind words. Try to use words of affirmation; it can be as simple as “good job,” “well done,” or “you're doing amazing.” Saying something as simple as this, and really mean in it, can be a game changer for your team's performance.
Focus on their needs first:
As business owners, we have a lot on our plate; there's always something that needs to be done, a busy meeting or an important business call. But if you want your business to thrive, focusing on your team's needs is essential. So before you dive into your own to-do list, take a few minutes to check in with your team. How are they doing? prioritize their chores and activities.
It can be as simple as having “One on One " with all your members or having a weekly or daily meeting to hear their needs and concerns. Take at least a few minutes of each day to be mindful and understand what your team is struggling with.
We know this can be challenging, as we often tend to focus on ourselves. However, taking the time to consider the feelings and needs of others is part of a leader's job. Focusing on your team´s needs also strengthens your relationship with them.
Help them solve their problems, but don't solve them for them
At this point, we recognize the importance of showing our employees support and encouragement, but sometimes they need more from us. They may need help solving their work problems, learning the correct processes and procedures, or need help with starting a task.
As the saying goes: Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. The same principle applies here. Instead of merely trying to solve their problems for them, guide them in discovering solutions themselves. Make them think.
Doing so will empower them and build their confidence and ability to tackle future challenges. Offer suggestions or insights when appropriate, but allow them to take ownership of their situation.
Invest in Your Team: Caring matters
Investing time in your team's development is like planting a seed and watching it grow, and it´s also a smart business move. Investing in your team could mean setting aside funds for workshops, having bonding activities, or providing feedback and mentorship.
Investing in your team's development and happiness shows them that you value their growth and want to help them reach their potential. In the long run, this kind of investment will lead to improved efficiency and better results.
Encourage and challenge them:
Another important way to show you care is to support their self-improvement. Encourage them to explore new ideas, learn new skills, and embark on new experiences. A great leader trusts their team's work and abilities; a leader lets their employees take on new responsibilities and develop new and better solutions for the company.
Most employees want to go the extra mile, learn, and gain experience from their jobs. By giving them responsibilities and challenging them, we also help them grow in the company and gain new abilities for the future.
Be empathetic and compassionate:
Relationships are not only built with potential customers and leads, but they are also built first within your work environment.
Empathy and compassion are vital components of demonstrating care. Offer emotional support during times of vulnerability and stress, even if it's not a work-related subject. At the end of the day, we are all humans, and we struggle with personal issues, and most of the time, it reflects in our job.
Being a great and caring business owner is understanding the shades and phases of life and being compassionate about them. Give your employees time off when needed, help them with their struggles, and be an active listener.
Resonate with your team without making them feel judged or inadequate. Offer help, but be mindful not to overwhelm them or make them feel burdened.
Enjoy the payoff:
How will all this help me? Having a happy team means having a happy business life; it's a win-win. By making your team feel safe and cared for, you will see improvements in the quality of your employees' jobs and create an environment where people want to stay for years.
When people aren´t afraid to come to you with struggles and feel comfortable, you get a better view of your company's environment and needs. Of course, your sales and revenue improve.
When it comes down to it, being a people person is fundamental to a healthy company. Taking the time out of each day to show your employees that you care is essential if you want to create a strong bond between yourself and those working hard behind the scenes every day.
About the Hosts
Andrea Fredrickson
Andrea Fredrickson is a thought leader and consultant at Revela, an organization based in Omaha, Nebraska specializing in the development of leaders, culture alignment, and business strategy for private and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness. Andrea has built an amazing team by believing that fundamentally people want to be successful and become better versions of themselves.
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Andrea has degrees in education, management, and business. She is the author of Insight Unseen; How to lead with 20/20 business vision. She helps people see things differently, self-reflect, and never stop looking for ways to improve themselves on a personal and professional level. Andrea has spent more than 30 years researching and developing methods to help people communicate and lead more effectively.
When Andrea isn’t working with clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family & friends and making memories by exploring new cities.
Michelle Hill
Michelle Hill is a master facilitator and coach at Revela, an organization specializing in the development of leaders and aligning the culture of privately held and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness.
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An ambitious leader, Michelle has the natural ability to create forward momentum to build teams and get results. She inspires others to look within themselves and to challenge the status quo. She helps create high-performing environments. Michelle brings a diverse background: operations, employee development, and sales in the steel, hospitality, and consulting industries.
Outside of work, you will see her competitive side engaged in her daughter’s sports and ISU athletics. She loves life, her four-legged companions, and captures all the moments through her camera’s lens.
TRANSCRIPT
Andrea: Do your employees know that you care? Maybe the better question is why does it even matter? On today's episode, we are going to talk about why it does matter and some techniques to help you get there. Hello and welcome to the Leadership Hustle Podcast for executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready. So, how do you show people that you care today? This is our second episode and this is one of those topics that I think is important in the fact that people kind of take it for granted that, you know, either you care or you don't care and that you just do it right. So we're talking about how do you show people that you care, not just co-workers and teammates, but just people in general.