Do your employees say communication could be better? Would they like more input in decision-making? Do they wish their contributions were more appreciated? If so, consider focusing more attention on "building an emotional bank account" with your employees. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's good insurance for the future. Eventually, your employees will feel let down - so you must ensure there's enough emotional capital in the account for that metaphorical rainy day.
Most small company owners or managers want to do the right thing. They want positive, productive, trust-based relationships with their people. But let's face it, perfection doesn't exist in leaders or in companies. You put in enough "deposits" so that when the inevitable "withdrawals" are made - let's say you forget to say thank you or you have to institute pay cuts - there's enough goodwill in the account to salvage those relationships.
Withdrawals are usually weightier than deposits - so great leaders do everything they can to make more of the latter. For instance:
- Diagnose employee satisfaction - and act on the results. Use a proven, respected job satisfaction survey to figure out where your problems lie. Then commit to solving them. One of the biggest issues we see in our consulting work is employees who say, "Well, they measured our satisfaction but nobody responded to what we said." We advise companies to be open about job survey results and have everyone vote on the top three issues. Eventually, you should address all workplace issues, but start by focusing on the top three.
- Harvest best practices. If job satisfaction surveys reveal a high number of reports of "poor communication," dig deeper. You may find that one department manager got great communication scores. Find out what that manager is doing right and reward him or her. Then, work to apply the same communication practices throughout the company. Your operation doesn't really have a problem with poor communication, just inconsistent communication. Take what people are doing right and expand on it. It's much more effective than trying to start from scratch - and it builds goodwill.
- Announce important changes. Accept skepticism, but not cynicism. Tell employees specifically what you are going to fix. Naturally, they will be skeptical. You can even tell them that skepticism is fine, even expected. But ask that they try not to be cynical. If they start rolling their eyes and say, "Oh, we've heard all that before," tell them, "Look, you can be part of the problem or you can be open to change and see good things start to happen."
- Go for "quick wins" to establish credibility. A quick win is an action that shows employees you really are committed to meeting their needs. If you are trying to establish an environment of fairness, for instance, don't "pull rank" and cut in line. Don't insist on having the parking spot nearest the door. (Not only will this send a signal that you're no more important than anyone else, the longer walk through the lot gives you the opportunity to talk to employees and stay on top of what's going on in your company.) Perhaps your quick win might take the form of getting a department a piece of equipment employees have requested for years or finally dealing with a poor performer who's been dragging everyone down.
Sometimes you won't know what your quick win is until the moment it presents itself. And seemingly small gestures can have a big impact. I recall my first day as administrator at a new hospital. I asked a nurse how I could make her job better, and she said she was frightened walking to her car at night because of the tall bushes by the parking lot. While she worked that day, I got the bushes trimmed and put up a small fence. It made the nurse feel safe and, more to the point, valued as an employee and a person.
- "Round" relentlessly. I am a proponent of leadership "rounding," a process similar to the one doctors use to check on their patients. In the business world, a company leader "makes the rounds" daily to check on the status of employees. Basically, you take an hour a day to touch base with workers, make a personal connection, recognize successes, find out what's going well and determine what improvements can be made. And of course, you fix any problems that come up. Rounding is the heart and soul of building the emotional bank account because it shows employees day in and day out that you care.
- Get rid of low performers. Make no mistake, your employees don't want to work with low performers. Nothing makes employees as discouraged and resentful as having to co-exist with people who don't pull their own weight. In fact, low performers usually drive high performers right out the door. Turning a blind eye to these people quickly drains the emotional bank account you're trying to build up with good employees. However hard it may seem, you must move these people toward more productivity or out of the company.
- Be open and truthful with your employees, no matter how difficult it may be. Let's say, for example, there are going to be major cuts in employee benefits in the near future. Once the decision is final, you owe it to your employees to tell them. If you don't come out and explain the situation before major changes take place, a huge amount of trust will be lost.
In the end, of course, trust is what building a healthy emotional bank account is all about.
When you've been up front with your employees - and proven every day that you want what's best for them - they'll give you the benefit of the doubt when things don't go their way. They might not like to receive bad news and they may be angry when it comes. But they won't feel betrayed to the point of leaving. They'll realize that you've always treated them like adults, with respect and consideration. And that's when you'll see the value of the emotional capital you've invested in saving the relationship. You'll understand that good communication is the foundation of a healthy company.