Happy People = Happy Profits. I get smiles when I talk like this to CEOs. It's true! When your people are happy, when they enjoy coming to work every day, when they believe in what they are doing, your company will be more profitable.
So ask yourself: What have you done for your employees lately? Are they happy?
Or are they fearful. Are they spending more time spreading rumors about how badly the company is doing than doing the work of the company? Fear is not a productive emotion for a workplace and with all the doom and gloom in the media every single day, you have to know fear is running rampant in your organization.
That is unless you are talking about it. Unless you are actually addressing that fear. If you are talking about it and addressing it, you are eliminating it. But too many leaders tend to think that 'no news is good news' and they would rather not take the time and communicate to their employees how the company is doing.
Or worse, they don't think it's any of their business. They (the employees) have jobs, don't they? And bringing it up (the bad stuff about the economy) will only make them (the employees) more upset! So the better approach is to say nothing and just hope it (all the bad stuff about the economy) goes away.
While CEOs and executive leaders have their hands full dealing with eroding profits and shrinking revenues, it's still the responsibility of those leaders to take care of their people. And taking care of your people will take care of your business.
Are you one of those leaders who just doesn't have the time or the inclination to address tough issues with your staff? Here are five things you can do to bring up difficult topics, help address critical fears, and get your employees back to being productive.
Number One: Ask your managers to ask their employees one question — what's your biggest fear about the company today?
Number Two: Ask your managers to share their answers with all the other managers in your next meeting.
Number Three: Select the top three FEARS and as a group, come up with answers to the top 3 fears.
Number Four: Share those answers at the next All Company Meeting.
Number Five: Repeat this process until all the FEARS are addressed.
Knowledge is powerful. Having your employees understand what is going on and how you and the leaders of the company are dealing with the issues is your responsibility. And it's a darn good strategic planning tool to get your company back in the game of making money!
