The information age is thick with overwhelming data. Our constant access to the internet has changed the way we do business and how we interact with people. Our communication skills are suffering and this affects the ability of managers to be effective. A good leader has an opportunity to overcome these challenges and develop better skills to communicate. Here are four simple steps you can do today to change the way to interact with your team and keep them engaged in their jobs.
- Change your focus. Your employees want to know that you recognize their challenges and concerns. Shift your point of view to theirs to see what kinds of things they deal with on a day to day basis. Practice active listening skills to really hear what they are saying when they come to you with issues that they want to resolve.
- Be 100% honest. Employees want straight answers, not platitudes. Be authentic and transparent in your communication and it will win you loyalty. This doesn’t mean you need to be unnecessarily cruel to anyone in the office but share your honest feedback and give each employee the tools to improve.
- Don’t get too technical. Often times, industry specific language is established to make the business sound impressive to potential buyers. Specific lingo has no place in employee communications. Your employees are part of the corporate team so don’t keep them at arm’s length by using unnecessary jargon and lingo.
- Open up with stories to the team. Engagement is not an individual sport. People always want to feel a connection with others, especially people they work with, or for. Share your personal experience with your team so they feel as though they have humanity in common with you. You can keep their attention and empower them to be contributors to the team, just like you have been in the past.
Do you want to work with a leading staffing provider in your community? Contact CornerStone Staffing today to see how we can help you.
