Raise the Commitment Level of Your Employees!

First, ask yourself...
As a leader, are you setting the right example that will encourage commitment from your employees?

Contrary to what some people might tell you, employees today DO want to be loyal and committed to the organization. They take pride in going above and beyond. They desire to feel like they are really making a difference and contributing to the success of the company. But 99 times out of 100, they will not feel this way simply out of the blue; it begins with the actions of the leader or manager. Ensuring our employees are fully committed to the organization starts with the leader. A great leader shows the employees that they are fully committed to doing the same things that are expected out of the employees.

For instance, do you "live" the mission and vision of the company that you so often preach? Are you willing to roll up your sleeves and help out to get the "not so glamorous" work done when you know it will benefit the team? Are you proactively looking for ways to improve your performance? Do you have a positive attitude towards the company? Are you willing to do whatever you have to do in order to satisfy a customer?

Employees can't be told, tricked, forced, manipulated or "managed" into committing to the organization. They must make that choice on their own, but it is up to the leaders to help them make the right choice! As leaders, our actions ALWAYS speak MUCH louder than words. When those around us see that we "practice what we preach," they will be much quicker and more eager to fall in line and be led!


**This week's tip was taken from "Committing to a Common Vision" which is the November session of The Compass Program. Click Here to view the schedule of all 12 sessions for The Compass Program.

Help Your Employees Enhance Communication!

First, ask yourself...
Would you like the members of your team to engage in open communication and collaboration more often?

We are all familiar with the traditional concept of dialogue, which is when you are engaged in a 2-way exchange of information with another person. Yet, there is another of effective form of communication that significantly impacts the amount of teamwork and level of trust between the two parties. It's called "Relationship Dialogue," which is a continuous flow of open communication throughout the life of the relationship. It spans far beyond one single interaction - it describes the overall willingness and ability of 2 individuals (or two teams) to have a relationship geared around open communication.

The easiest way to increase relationship dialogue is to actually put people (and yourself) in a position to interact and communicate more openly. Here are some strategic actions you can take to help increase the level of relationship dialogue in your relationships, and within your team: make yourself (the manager/leader) available and approachable, involve others in planning and problem solving, share information as much as possible with others which will encourage their input, be receptive to feedback when given to you, and provide opportunities for cross functional collaboration (which might be in the form of joint-team meetings, cross functional projects, etc).

When we have a healthy relationship dialogue, we are able to openly share information, ideas, and feedback with each other...without fear of defensiveness, conflict or reprisal. Not only will communication increase, but relationships will develop, commitment to a common goal and vision will strengthen, and the attitude overall between employees will jump!


**This week's tip was taken from "Promoting Open & Healthy Dialogue" which is the October session of The Compass Program. Click Here to view the schedule of all 12 sessions for The Compass Program.