“I’m the boss and you do what I want, the way I want it! You work for me!” I barked at an employee – I was in my early twenties and manager of a small operation. An employee was doing what needed to be done, but not the way I would have done it or the way I preferred it be done. He protested and noted how the task was being taken care of with the acceptable results. He grumbled about it, but gave in to my demand.
I have learned much since that incident. Three concepts impact the more productive way I operate with employees today.
First: these employees do literally work for me. That is, what they do – their work – benefits me. Without them I would be in a world of hurt and could not do all of their jobs myself.
Second: the better I treat my employees, the better they work, and the more productive they are.
When I learned to really care about my people, their attitudes towards their work improved significantly. The overall success of the enterprise did too. It even showed up in their loyalty to me.
Third: I do not know the best way to do everything. Wonder of wonders, there are people who actually know more about their jobs than I do! Additionally, they can sometimes see flaws in the way I operate. I began to listen more and talk less. I learned that one of the smartest and most effective way to be successful, is to surround myself with the brightest and best, then continually listen to their observations and ideas. Another benefit is that they also start listening to me and my ideas.
There are a lot of disgruntled workers today. In fact, lately, they have been picketing for a fair minimum wage. They see the upper division folks and the CEO’s making large salaries and benefits, and American businesses making record profits, yet their pay checks show low wages. In a very real way that fact sounds like: ”we are the bosses, and you do what we say for the money we pay!”
Remember those people who work for you, and treat them like they are important; they are.
References you may want to review: Don’t Overlook the Trees for the Forest
I have learned much since that incident. Three concepts impact the more productive way I operate with employees today.
First: these employees do literally work for me. That is, what they do – their work – benefits me. Without them I would be in a world of hurt and could not do all of their jobs myself.
Second: the better I treat my employees, the better they work, and the more productive they are.
When I learned to really care about my people, their attitudes towards their work improved significantly. The overall success of the enterprise did too. It even showed up in their loyalty to me.
Third: I do not know the best way to do everything. Wonder of wonders, there are people who actually know more about their jobs than I do! Additionally, they can sometimes see flaws in the way I operate. I began to listen more and talk less. I learned that one of the smartest and most effective way to be successful, is to surround myself with the brightest and best, then continually listen to their observations and ideas. Another benefit is that they also start listening to me and my ideas.
There are a lot of disgruntled workers today. In fact, lately, they have been picketing for a fair minimum wage. They see the upper division folks and the CEO’s making large salaries and benefits, and American businesses making record profits, yet their pay checks show low wages. In a very real way that fact sounds like: ”we are the bosses, and you do what we say for the money we pay!”
Remember those people who work for you, and treat them like they are important; they are.
References you may want to review: Don’t Overlook the Trees for the Forest
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