Does your
team KNOW they MATTER?
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics, was
quoted as saying, “Everyone wears an invisible sign around their necks that says,
‘Help me feel I matter’!” Whether your team members will ever tell you such a
thing, as leaders this is something we should always assume our people are
telling us!
Human Development theorist, Nancy Schlossberg,
speaks to this very issue in her work on Marginality versus Mattering. Essentially, people feel marginalized when they are disenfranchised or
ignored. On the other hand, people feel they matter when they hold the belief
that someone cares. As leaders, we are often too busy with our own concerns that
we take our folks for granted. We just ASSUME they know we appreciate them and
their efforts in our businesses, schools, organizations, etc. Such assumptions
are very dangerous to our work as leaders in that how will they ever KNOW
unless you INTENTIONALLY make an effort to let team members know how important
they are and that they MATTER. Below you will find 5 elements of Mattering:
- Attention – someone notices me. This is an easy fix. Instead of just rushing by staff in the morning on the way to your office, make a point to slow down, say hello, and ask how they are doing.
- Importance – someone cares about me. Do you tell team members how important they are on a regular basis? You may say "Sure I do" but do you tell them why they are important? What specifically do they do that is of value to the organization?
- Appreciation – my efforts are noticed and valued. Much like the above, you need to tell you staff what each member uniquely contributes to organizational success. If you point out specific examples that tells your team that a) you are paying attention and b) what you value!
- Other Gratification – someone is proud of my accomplishments. Nothing will impress a staff member more, especially a “millennial” or younger team member, if you write a note (NOT an email!) or buy them a coffee and tell them, “Hey, I was really impressed by the job you did with that project, customer, etc.”
- Dependence – someone needs me. I know of no better way to garner commitment and loyalty but to communicate to someone that they are needed because only they can do what they do for the team.
I get it. You are probably
telling yourself "I don’t try to take my team for granted". Of course you don’t
but as the noted leadership expert, John Maxwell observers, most of the
time people who detract from others do so unintentionally, however, leaders who
ADD VALUE to others do so with a great
deal of intention. Further, this also involves a great deal of work! But
this is the work of leadership.
Think of it as an investment that will pay huge
dividends in terms of employee engagement and satisfaction. Don’t just wait for
the annual review to do this. Do it now and with a great deal of sincerity! I
promise you will be both surprised and pleased by the RESULTS!
As always, if I can help you
Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as
a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact
information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring
initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical
in order to add value to your organization!
Yours
in Leadership,
Bill
Faulkner
Co-Founder
– Out Loud Strategies
Independent
Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
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