Today I just want to talk a little bit about and give you some tools as an owner or leader of how to connect, care and create an improved and better relationship with your employees.
These are soft skills that don’t often get talked about. They aren’t taught in school or in an MBA program nor are they focused on a lot anywhere else. But we’ve seen when they are used in the right way, they are powerful.
- Connect with Employees
The first tool that we use is “connect.” A lot of owners have told me over the years that they aren’t sure how to have a conversation with a new employee or somebody that they don’t seemingly have much in common with. I have a simple tool that I teach them how to have a five-minute conversation based on FORM. It’s an old insurance adage to get to know somebody. What FORM stands for is: Family, Occupation, Recreation, Message. Here’s some sample questions: Do you have family? What was your job before you came here? What work were you doing before you came here? What do you like to do for fun? Then the message part can go something like this: “We’re so glad you’re here, and now that I know more about you, I’m excited to go deeper with that.” Use this simple “form” to connect with an employee. It’s very simple and only takes a couple of minutes.
- Care Through Listening
The best way for owners or leaders to connect with their managers or supervisors is to ask them a question and then listen deeply to their answer. Don’t interrupt, wait until they are done talking so they feel they are truly heard. When people feel like they’re heard, they feel like they’re connected to you and that you really care.
The second step to caring is to listen. This is almost a lost art in our society today. But listen, take a couple of minutes and really listen deeply to people in your organization.
- Create
The third step is to take the time to create an ongoing relationship with the people that work on our team as individuals. The fastest and simplest way to do this is find something that they care about. Maybe it’s something work related, it could be family, something they do for fun, or perhaps a hobby or an organization/cause that they care deeply about. Find a connection there and care about it also. Ask them questions about it or what’s happening around this situation, what progress are they making, is there some way you might support the thing they care most about. This is a great way to create a connection.
These are the three C’s that we use and teach about that are really effective connecting tools. Use “form”, care and listen deeply, and then create a connection around something they are care deeply about that you can also care about or talk with them about on an ongoing basis.
Hope you find this helpful and useful today. Let us know at Confidence Coach if you’d like more information and suggestions on how to connect, care and create a great relationship with the people in your organization.