This technique belongs on every leader’s must-do list

By Fred Hosier • October 26, 2012

Adapted from Safety Compliance Alert.

If you read any list of ideas for motivating employees, one of the best tips will be to consistently encourage people to voice their concerns. (And if that technique is not on your list, pencil it in right now!)

Getting people to speak up about work issues is essential to making them feel they are a valued part of the team, a part of the effort — and ultimately a part of the success.

There are scores of reasons why employees don’t offer up their concerns – from a fear of retaliation to a hesitation to appear ungrateful.

Thankfully, there is a proven, two-step process managers can use to assuage employee fears and get them engaged. The first step is to actively ask for input. The second is to give people feedback about how their concerns were handled.

Both steps are critical – like a two-step tango — otherwise someone’s going to fall flat on their face.

Here’s an example of how it works, as  told Capt. Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger during his keynote address to National Safety Council’s 2012 congress.

After finishing a flight to Minneapolis, a ground crew member came to him to report oil dripping from under the plane, which might indicate a problem.

Sullenberger alerted maintenance, and it turned out to be an over-filled oil reservoir. Not a big problem.

Still, Sullenberger made a point to search out the ground crew worker and follow up with him on the results of the maintenance check.

But the hero-pilot didn’t stop there: He also thanked the worker and encouraged him to do the same thing again if he ever saw a potential problem — even though there wasn’t one in this instance.

It is a lesson managers should make part and parcel of their daily routines, and especially when it involves worker safety: Let people know you want to hear about their concerns. Let them know what came of their input.

And no matter the result, thank them and encourage them never to hesitate to do it again.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Safety Compliance Alert Tagged With: , , ,

Team building: It's really trust building

By Rich Henson • September 14, 2012

Adapted from Safety Compliance Alert.

Just say the words “team building” and most managers who’ve been around a while want to roll their eyes. That's understandable. Many team building exercises deserve the bad rap they get.

Consultants will try to sell you on the notion that people playing “tug of war” or having “amoeba races” are also having fun and laughing, and that makes them open and receptive to one another. Right?

Maybe, at least while they’re tugging on the rope. And don’t misunderstand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a day of fun, if that’s all you really want.

But team building takes more than that. What happens the next day when people are back on the job? Are relationships strengthened? Or does everyone just go back to their old habits, grumbling over perceived snubs and practicing passive-aggressiveness until they get what they want?

For real team building results, a day of shooting paint balls at each other may be fun, but it’s a hit or miss exercise — pun intended. And mostly it’s miss.

What does work? Trust building! And the best thing about trust building is it hasn’t changed over time. Trust still comes from the same place it always has, it starts on the inside.

Consider this very practical example from the field of workplace safety. People need to be able to trust that those around them will do their jobs safely. To help foster trust quickly, good companies use techniques that encourage people to get to know one another personally, and to recognize the things they have in common.

For instance, nothing brings people together faster than a common enemy, like a serious safety hazard. Assigning employees to come together to identify and eliminate hazards is an excellent trust builder.

Many managers are surprised to learn that one of the of the most well-established and proven trust building techniques available is the employee newsletter. Publishing and sharing items on a regular basis, like employee birthdays, graduations, weddings or anniversaries, hobbies and interests, and adding personal touches to these stories, provides the basis for trust building and teamwork.

It lets people see they have a lot in common, that they share many interests, and that they’re all in this “work thing” together. It makes them one, like a good team.

Filed Under: Safety Compliance Alert Tagged With: , ,