“Walk Your Talk” or “Practice
What You Preach” – are these clichés that need to be retired or concepts that
need to be embraced and practiced?
Unfortunately, many
supervisors and managers today are not receiving formal management training.
Consequently, issues may arise concerning communication, delegation and
leadership skills.
Employees should be your
primary customers. If you treat them with the same respect and caring service
that you deliver to your external customers, you will find a refreshing
attitude develop and grow in your department and company. As a member of
manage-ment, you have the responsibility and privilege of being a leader and
therefore, you set the tone for your entire department. Don’t think for a
minute that your employees are not watching you!
According to a Gallup poll, 25% of U.S. employees would fire their bosses if
they could. Why? Because many managers set high service standards for their
employees, yet fail to abide by those same standards.
If you are a manager, don’t underestimate what an impact your behavior makes
on your staff. Your employees will respect your authority if you have the
same expectations for your behavior as you do for theirs. If you expect them
to deliver excellent customer service, they should be able to observe your
excellent customer service skills on a daily basis. Customer loyalty must be
a top-down initiative.
Here are some simple things you can do that will help you to increase employee
loyalty:
- Be a mentor and coach by sharing your
knowledge and experience. Explain to them how decisions were made,
especially when it involves them. Acknowledge those things that they do
well. Don’t be afraid to point out opportunities for improvement. Provide
suggestions and ideas on how things could be done differently to achieve
that improvement.
- Tell your employees that they're
valued. Be approachable, smile, remember the names of their family members,
remember their birthdays and sincerely thank your staff every chance you
get. As humans, we can’t be appreciated enough!
- Demonstrate that you care about your
employees and their challenges. Showing your compassion by being flexible
with hours and time off when possible can go a long way!
- Performance reviews and salary
increases should be given on the promised dates. And don’t kid yourself -
employees have those dates memorized! Employees can be forgiving on a lot
of things . . . but none of us like to feel unappreciated or undervalued.
Resentment can fester if these dates come and go without action.
- Delegate projects based on their
strengths– show your employees that you trust them! Learn to let go . . .
don’t be a micromanager! Let your staff take the ball and run with it when
appropriate. But don’t forget Rule # 1 – be a mentor and a coach.
Keep in mind that your
employees are your primary customers. If you treat them
with respect and caring service, they in turn will treat your external
customers with that same care and respect.
Remember though, your
employees are watching you! Practice what you preach! Walk Your Talk!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measure-X
6227 N 15th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014
888-644-5499
The Customer Service and Sales Experts
for the utility industry!
Call today and we’ll show
you how easy training can be!
To subscribe to our
newsletter please visit us at
http://measure-x.com/newsletter/newsletter2.html
PRIVACY and SPAM POLICY: I
never rent, trade or sell my email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever.
You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining
this list.
COPYRIGHT (C) 2005 by
Measure-X.
Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this newsletter only in its
entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged.
