Managers are among the top reasons why employees stay at or leave a company.
It is what led a NH business owner to recently ask how he can maintain a genuine connection with employees and ensure they are comfortable coming to him with concerns.
He explained that he believes he has a strong relationship with his staff and welcomes all concerns and feedback, but he’s noticed they still hesitate to approach him with complaints.
While this is generally the nature of being a “top dog,” there are steps and leadership skills that small business owners can take to establish a rapport with employees and mitigate the fear of speaking up.
1. Consider Yourself Part of the Team, Not the Boss
Get to know your employees on a personal level to build a deeper connection and empathy. Lead from a leadership perspective, not from a boss mentality. Leaders build people up, lead with emotional intelligence and genuinely care for employees.
Being a boss and being a leader are two different things. Effective leadership skills revolve around your actions more than your words.
Anyone can talk the talk—but can you walk the walk? When you tell employees you’ll do something, follow through. If you tell them they can come to you with complaints, listen with an open mind and find out how you can support them or improve the situation. Then act on it.
2. Look for Ways to Have Their Back
When you encounter a staff member who is struggling with something, whether personal or work-related, always asks how you can help or offer resources.
When team members come to you with an issue, collaborate and ask, ‘What do you need/want from me here? Do you need advice, or do you need me to step in and handle it at an escalated level?’ Let them know you are there to support them in as many ways as possible.
3. Communicate Your Schedule and Set Expectations
While it’s important to be there for your team to answer questions and handle situations, remember you are human too. There will be times you can’t respond right away. Set clear expectations of your availability well in advance (when possible), so your team is prepared for a delayed response.
Additionally, you should:
- Outline a clear chain of command so they know who to go to for issues when you’re unavailable.
- Communicate your team’s priorities, due dates and workflows.
- Define each task with clear instructions, as applicable, so employees
feel prepared. - Trust your team. Allow them to work without fear of micromanagement because you know they’ll get the job done.
4. Help Them Learn, Improve and Grow
As you interact with and evaluate your employees’ performance, take a deeper look.
Why is someone struggling? How can you show them you care, help build their confidence, and improve their skills and performance? If a team member is already showing potential, how can you nurture their growth and help them take their abilities to the next level?
The simple solution is to ask them. You can easily stay on top of this when you have regular meetings, a performance review process and stay interviews in place. This way, you can find out precisely what they need to do better and find higher job satisfaction.
5. Remember Your Employees are Humans
Never forget that tour team members are humans first and foremost. Especially as more employees are working remotely, it is important to hold regular (at least quarterly) check-ins to discuss not only work but their life outside the office.
One way you can create a culture of transparency and trust is by establishing an open-door policy. It may take time for employees to warm up to it, but when you show you’re truly open to ideas and critiques, and that it’s ok to make mistakes, their trust will grow.
In today’s ever-changing workplace, the most important leadership skills for small business owners are soft skills, intuition and a team-oriented mentality. When you show employees that you genuinely care, they’ll grow more comfortable approaching you even in difficult situations.
Instead of carrying yourself as the “boss,” view yourself as one of the team. And remember that everyone, including yourself, deserve to be treated with compassion and empathy.
Alison Milioto and Toni Runci are co-founders of and human resource consultants with BlueLion, an outsourced HR and HR consulting firm in Derry. They can be reached at 603-818-4131 or info@bluelionllc.com. For more information, visit bluelionllc.com.
Current Issue - April 2024