The One Thing That Will Break You

Successful businesses must have engaged employees in order to stay ahead of the competition, keep their product or service innovative, and retain customers. Keeping employees motivated and engaged involves many elements, many of which are on the department level and left up to each supervising manager. But there is one element that, if lacking, will break down a team and damage a business faster than anything else – respect for the leader.

Certainly respect for the overall company, its goals, and its executive leadership is important, but good employees can often overlook inconsistencies in those areas if they respect their direct supervisor. If that one person who directs their work on a daily basis and is responsible for motivating their team is worthy of admiration, then according to studies from Monster, Yahoo, Salary.com, and the National Education Association, employees will be more likely to stay with the company and feel engaged at work. Unfortunately for leaders, though, respect is not something that comes on demand or can be bought with raises – it requires work and time.

Earn It With Effort

Employees know when they’re being used and poorly led. Sure, there are some perks that come with a leadership role, but if you repeatedly slack off, pass your duties on to your team, or cover up your mistakes, your team will have no desire to help you succeed. Respect is earned, which means showing your team you are dedicated to them and their cause, even if that requires you to work some late nights, take on the tough assignments, or admit when you are wrong.

Give It Time

Whether you’re leading a new team or trying to repair damage from your past leadership mistakes, real respect does not come quickly. Sure, there are some instances where you can make a leap in the right direction, but it will take your team seeing you consistently make the right choices in order to invoke that deep-held respect given to history’s finest leaders. And, keep in mind, if your employees already lack respect for you, it will take longer to rebuild that trust and admiration.

Respect – either you have it or you don’t. The great news is that it’s completely in your control, but the road to earning respect is straight, narrow, and often the path less-taken. In the long run, your effort and time will be worth it as you see your team rally to your side, fight for you, and support you no matter what.

Break Through Your Company’s Language Barriers

Legendary American businessman Lee Iacocca once said, “you can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” Communication is a key ingredient to great leadership and successful companies. From describing your strategic vision to assigning daily tasks, it’s important to be sure your messages are being received loud and clear. However for many businesses, that’s easier said than done.

From industry to company to department to team, there are a wide variety of language barriers present at every level of business that leaders must contend with in order to ensure a productive workforce.

Ethnic and Cultural Backgrounds

Many barriers are obvious, such as an employee’s native language, but others such as cultural differences may not be as readily identified. In either case, knowledge is power. The more you know about the various backgrounds of the individuals who make up your workforce, the better equipped you’ll be to recognize and react to different cultural cues when communicating with them.

Religion

Religion can be a very divisive topic and it’s important to tread lightly when addressing the subject in the workplace. Many comments or actions that are considered completely innocent to one group could easily offend another. From serving certain foods at company gatherings to a company’s stance on various social and political issues, religion may play a major role in many of the decisions your employees make every day.

Generational Differences

There are now four different generations working side by side in the modern workforce. And with each generation comes a different set of language barriers and communication best practices. There is a wide range of differing values, beliefs, and skills between the four groups. While it may seem daunting, knowledge is once again your best bet for effectively communicating with each of them.

Company Lingo

The daily lingo in many companies, especially corporate environments, is a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations, which can be especially frustrating for new employees. A comprehensive training program will help introduce a recent hire to the unique language of their new job. However, they probably won’t be fluent overnight. Taking time to explain certain phrases or expand on abbreviations during an employee’s first few weeks will ensure they don’t get lost and overwhelmed.

Language barriers exist in every business. From companies becoming more diverse, different generations moving in and out of the workforce, and advancements in technology, it’s just a natural part of the evolving workplace. And as a result, great leadership will become more and more defined by not only how you manage the business, but also how well you manage your people.

3 Great Ways to Shake Up the Workplace

Let’s face it, after feeling the impact of the recession, from salary freezes to paycuts and layoffs, change in the workplace had a bad rap. We all wanted stability and security. But now, businesses are worrying about turnover and employee engagement as more and more employees feel frustrated with the status quo. John F. Kennedy once said, “change is the law of life.” It’s inevitable. But it’s also important to remember that change isn’t always bad. Often times, it’s great. If your employees are tired of the same ole’ same ole’ at work, now may be the perfect time to shake your workplace up and make some changes for the better.

Here are three easy ways to get started before the new year.

Renovate Your Office Space
Changing your environment can change your entire outlook, and the great news is, it doesn’t have to be big. Anything from a fresh coat of paint to finally getting to that overdue cleanup-day can go a long way to brighten up your work environment and refresh your team’s perspective.

Rearranging office space into specific zones like a meeting and brainstorming space that’s far away from distracting emails and phone calls will be conducive to an environment of focus that can help increase productivity. And switching cubicles and changing workspaces can mean building a more cohesive team that works well together.

Makeover Outdated Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures are important to every business, but they can quickly become out of date. Doing something a specific way simply because that’s how it’s always been done doesn’t mean it’s always the most efficient way. If you suspect you have some outdated policies or procedures in place, ask your team to offer suggestions for improving things. It will give your employees a chance to share their input and ideas, make them feel like they’re contributing to the overall department, and hopefully mean innovative and effective changes for your workforce.

Declare a “No Meeting Day”
In a recent survey by Express Employment Professionals, 51% of business leaders said meetings were the biggest drain of their time. Studies show the average worker spends approximately six hours a week – more if you’re a manager or executive – in meetings. If too many meetings are taking away from your employees’ already busy schedules, break away from the norm and pick a day in the week where you declare meetings off limits. Take time to evaluate some of your regularly scheduled meetings to see if there’s anything you can cut out or find ways to make them more productive. Just think what you could do with even just an extra hour a week. Think about what it would mean if every employee had an extra hour or two to complete projects or brainstorm new ideas.

You don’t have to make big changes around the office to help reengage your staff and improve performance and productivity. Every step you take to better your company, whether it’s by changing the work environment or improving procedures, can make a big difference.

The Results are In: Your Thoughts on Experience vs. Education

In September, we asked you what is more important to your employee selection process, education, experience, or a combination of the two. And the results were conclusive, to say the least. More than 65% of respondents said qualified, on-the-job experience was the most important factor when hiring new employees. A combination of education and experience was selected second by 31% of respondents.

In a distant third, only 3% of respondents said strong college credentials are the most important factor to consider during the hiring process. For recent college graduates, this statistic could be particularly troubling since they typically do not have extensive on-the-job experience.

These statistics also help to emphasize the growing importance of employee retention. According to research by the American Psychological Association, only half of employees say they feel valued on the job and more than 30% indicated they plan on seeking new employment opportunities. And, in a time when the battle for talent is fierce, it’s in a company’s best interest to make every effort to retain their most skilled and experienced workers.

It’s hard to believe with unemployment still hovering around the 9% mark that many companies are struggling to hire new employees. But in a climate where hiring decisions carry even more weight than before, business leaders have to be picky to ensure the investment they make in a new hire won’t be lost due to turnover, poor cultural fit, inexperience, or a wide variety of other factors.

Leadership Lessons From the King

Elvis Presley, known around the world as the “King of Rock and Roll,” built a billboard-topping career that spanned nearly a quarter of a century. During that time he changed the face of music and opened the doors for generations of musicians who followed. Even now, almost 35 years after his death – assuming you choose to believe the King truly has left the building – Elvis is still one of the most universally recognizable pop culture icons in the world.

So, it’s only natural to assume he knew a thing or two about being a leader. It’s time to dust off the vinyl and start shaking your hips as we dig deep into Elvis’ extensive musical repertoire to see what the King can teach us about leadership.

Don’t you step on my blue suede shoes! – Blue Suede Shoes

While the song serves as a warning to all the other flailing feet on the dance floor to refrain from scuffing the now iconic pair of designer duds, these words also work well as a reminder to give your employees some room to step up to a new challenge or take on a leadership role. Sometimes the best thing a leader can do to help employees with C-suite aspirations is to simply get out of the way and let them learn through experience.

You look like an angel, walk like an angel, talk like an angel, but I got wise – You’re the devil in disguise! – (You’re the) Devil in Disguise

Originally recorded in 1963, Devil in Disguise is a tale of love gone awry when the leading lady, and object of Elvis’ affection, shows her true colors, ending the relationship in heartbreak for the King. In the workplace, these words more aptly describe the necessity of transparency. Your employees want a leader they can trust, and it’s your responsibility to be as upfront, open and honest as possible.

A little less conversation, a little more action, please. – A Little Less Conversation

This seize-the-day anthem, written for Elvis for the 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little, doesn’t so much ask, but rather tells the listener to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. And in the workplace, that’s exactly what’s expected of a great leader. When projects and deadlines start piling up, nothing builds respect and confidence more than a leader who rolls up their sleeves and dives into the trenches alongside them.

My hands are shaky and my knees are weak. I can’t seem to stand on my own two feet. – All Shook Up

Listed on The Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, this song is said to have been inspired by a “shook up” bottle of Pepsi. However, in the workplace, these iconic words help to remind us of the importance of confidence. Your employees need to feel that they are following a leader who is not only confident about where they are going, but also how they will get there. When management appears nervous and unsure, it becomes more difficult to inspire the people they lead.

The King of Rock and Roll may be gone, but his legacy lives on. Even today, nearly 60 years after he recorded his first single, the music of Elvis Presley still holds up, and there’s no doubt it’ll be remembered well into the future. Inspiration comes from many sources, and who better to pull some helpful words of wisdom from than a man who helped define an entire generation.