Talk to Your Team Thursday

When was the last time you got of your office and talked with your team?  And when I say talk to your team, I don’t mean about work.  As a leader part of your responsibility is to connect with your team and build relationships.

What do you know about your team members?  When was the last time you just casually chatted with them about their hobbies, their family, their pets?  Employees long for a leader that shows interest in them outside of their work responsibilities.  People are wired to connect and have a sense of belonging.

It doesn’t take much to make those connections and make a difference.  An effective leader knows they have got to balance productivity with relationships in order to help their team reach their potential.  It can’t always be about productivity and it can’t always be about the relationship.

My challenge for you today is to talk to your team.

• Find out something you didn’t know about a team member.

• Pull up a chair and ask how their year is going so far.

• Discover one thing about an employee that they are passionate about (outside of work.)

• Follow-up on a conversation you have had previously with a team member about non-work related stuff.

• Compliment a team member on something besides their work.

• Visit another department and chat with the team members there.

• Share something about yourself that your team members may not know.

• Find out about your team members family, kids, pets.

• Notice something about your team member.  A picture on their desk, a new haircut, a new outfit, a big smile.

The key is to talk with your employees, not at your employees.  Find a way to strike that balance between who they are and what they do.  Your employees are more than just a number or another warm body in a cubicle.  Show them you care and that they are important.  Talk to them!

What did you find out today?  How did your employees respond?  What keeps you from doing this each day?  We would love to hear about your experiences!