Just like yesterday’s post, I get asked a bunch of questions about… you know… stuff. And in the early morning hours I enjoy responding (hopefully) thoughtfully and thoroughly. A couple members of my team suggested I start sharing my advice. So, without further ado, please enjoy the first installment of Ask MilEs Anything:
There is no way you can expect people to treat your customers well if they’re not treating each other well. And then that toxicity spreads – the scary part is you may not even be aware of it and that could be really dangerous to your company.
Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another. Easier said than done, right? Especially in the workplace.
When it comes to encouraging co-workers to serve each other I think two things are important:
1. You can’t be annoying or bully them into doing it.
We so often come from a place of negativity inside an office and we forget how good we are to each other.
Yet, at the same time, if you look at social media, the things that get shared, the things we love are all the sweet, heart-wrenching things.
Be that person inside your company. Act as a lighthouse (that’s a dumb metaphor, I know, but do it).
Start the trend and lead by example. One of the great things you can start doing is getting them on your side by pointing out what people do well – and do it publicly, you know, in front of other people.
If you have weekly meetings, start out by pointing out what someone else did well. You can’t do it over night, but if you are consistent and frequent, over and over and over again, you realize that you can start to change the culture to that of positivity inside the organization.
2. If you are a manager or a leader of the company, you improve what you measure and reward.
Find ways to have contests about serving each other and keep a tally. Then, the important part – REWARD your employees.
Keep a stack of gift cards in your desk. When you notice a team member serving another team member you slide them a gift card and say, “I noticed you that helped out Sally today and I just thought that was really, really cool.”
YOU have to do it – you can’t sit back, wait, and expect your team to figure it out on their own (and then complain when it doesn’t happen).
Some additional reading with statistics about employee disengagement
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-fermin/13-disturbing-facts-aboutb6140996.html
• http://www.dalecarnegie.com/employee-engagement/engaged-employees-infographic/
If you have a question you’d like to ask and don’t mind (a) replies in the wee, small hours of the morning, or (b) me sharing the answer with the rest of the class (removing any personal info, of course), please reach out to us. If you get our emails, just reply. If you’re reading this on our site or in your RSS feed, click me.
