Five Secrets to Gaining Credibility with Your Team for Outstanding Results

---

Towers Perrin, the ...
benefits ... ...
over 1000 American workers and found ... Only 51 percent of all workers trust their ...
totell the truth in employee Towers Perrin, the corporate benefits consulting firm,surveyed over 1000 American workers and found thefollowing:* Only 51 percent of all workers trust their organizations totell the truth in employee communications* Only 48 percent of all workers with more than five years oftenure believe their companies are honest in their employeecommunications* Only 44 percent of all workers over age 50 trust theirorganizations to tell them the truth in employeecommunicationsOrganizations then wonder why worker productivitydecreases, employee loyalty is at an all time low, and humanresource situations increase. Your employees see everyday,at least in their eyes, the following:* Record profits, yet massive layoffs* Hearing how important they are, yet having their jobsoutsourced* Experiencing changes to their jobs, yet not being asked fortheir ideas* Being told how they are doing a great job, yet being yelledat for mistakes in front of colleaguesNo wonder there is tension in the workplace.
When I workwith organizations, the following three concerns are the onesusually express:“My supervisor, manager, etc., doesn’t know how tocommunicate with me.”“I am the last to hear about bad news.”“He/she never asks me for my ideas.”Because of these concerns, there is a divide, professionally,emotionally, mentally, and physically between the employeesand their supervisor/manager, etc., which leads to lostproductivity.The following are five secrets that will increase yourcredibility with employees and produce outstanding resultsfor your organization:1. Be HonestYou owe it to your employees and to colleagues to behonest.
Tell your employees exactly where they stand withinthe organization. Be positive, yet don’t sugar coat it.
Onceyour employees know where they stand, use this as astepping stone for improvements and solutions you canwork on together.2. Be ConsistentBe consistent with your communication among employees.You will lose credibility with employees if they see youcommunicate differently with different employees concerningthe same situations.
For example, if you berate an employee(which I’m sure you would never do) for a mistake, yet saynothing to another employee for the same mistake, you willlose credibility.Also, be consistent with the way you communicate yourmoods. Remember, if you project a professional manner, nomatter the situation, your employees will emulate yourbehavior.3.
Communicate Bad News ASAPThere is nothing worse for employees than hearing bad newsfrom human resources, shareholders, the news, friends,family, and even their religious leader, but not from you, theirmanager. The biggest reasons I hear for not tellingemployees are the following:“Management asked me to keep it secret.”“I don’t have all the facts yet.”“I don’t think the employees can handle the bad news.”Well, guess what:* Employees always find out about bad news (sometimesbefore their supervisors/managers, etc.).* Employees always appreciate when you share whateverinformation you have with them as long as you are honestwith them.* Employees can take more than you think if you aresensitive to their concerns and express these concerns withthem.Will some of them be unhappy in the short run? Someemployees may not be happy; however, they will respectyou as a manager that respects them and keeps theminformed of all news, good or bad.4.
Give and Receive Constant FeedbackEmployees want feedback on, “How am I doing?” By givingconstant feedback, you are developing a bond of trust thatimproves the performance of your employees.Remember, your employees are always doing something well.Make sure you come from a positive position ofimprovement when giving feedback. Let your employeesknow that you appreciate their efforts and the differencethey make each day.Also make it “safe” for employees to give you feedback.
Letthem know that no one is perfect (I know we think we are)and that you value their feedback to make the workenvironment a “win-win” situation for all involved. Teachyour employees how to give feedback, both positive andconstructive.
Remember, as a leader, you are constantlydeveloping your employees for the next level.5. Ask for Employee SolutionsPeople go to work to succeed, not fail.
Employees also go towork because they want to make a difference at their job.One of the best ways for employees to feel they are making adifference is to involve them in the solution creation process.Make asking for solutions from your employees an ongoingprocess. Whether during staff meetings, one-on-onesessions, etc., make it safe for employees to develop theirown solutions.
If given the opportunity, your employees willcome up with solutions that are innovative, proactive, and insome cases better than any solution we can ever develop.To motivate your employees to create solutions, you mustdo the following:* Give them credit for the solutions* Create reward systems for solutions* Make it easy for them to communicate solutions* Massage solutions for positive resultsVery importantly, if employees share a solution with you,please, please, please, give them feedback ASAP. You willlose employee credibility if they think you don’t care or aretaking credit for their ideas.Apply these techniques now and you will gain credibility and increase productivity with your employees whiledeveloping a high performance environment that achieves outstanding results.Source: Towers Perrin, Enhancing Corporate Credibility-Is ItTime to Take the “Spin” Out of Employee Communication?January, 2004 Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .