Want to “suck the life out of your employees”? Then take as much as you can from them. Demand as much as you can from them. Empty their tanks and don’t refill them.
This doesn’t sound like a winning formula for success, motivation, performance or morale does it? But companies do this every day. They feel that they are paying employees so the employee should give, give, give. But does it work? In the short term maybe. But it’s not a long term formula for the 180DegreeLeader… The 180DegreeLeader takes a different approach – a 180 degree approach.
In your business, you strive to add more value to your customers in your sales and marketing efforts.
This “extra” value you give is beyond the actual value of your product or service, so that the Perceived Value of the product or service you are selling is much higher… thus, making the customer feel like they got a great deal. It makes the customer happy, they tell others about their buying experience and recommend your business. And, in many cases, they buy from you again and again.
Have you considered adding value to your employees?
I don’t mean adding value by just sending them to seminars, training sessions, and providing better benefits, I mean, adding value to help them achieve their personal goals.
Instead of just managing people, telling them what to do, bossing them around, or threatening them if they don’t perform, consider changing your focus as a leader to being one who is really focused on helping an employee achieve their goals.
What does this look like?
When you add value to an employee, your focus is on helping them be successful. Helping them get better. Your focus is not on you, it is on their personal wins. Remember WIIFM, What’s In It For Me? Employees have a life beyond the four walls of your office. They care about their career, paying their bills, their family, hobbies, friends, buying new toys, taking trips, making more money, awards, etc… When you change your focus to helping them win, you win.
When an employee knows that you are sincere about helping them, they will begin to give more. They will be more committed to the job. They become more loyal. Morale increases. Performance increases.
Some leaders and managers may say, “wait a second, it’s a privilege for them to work here. They are lucky to have this job. I don’t need to cater to them. They should be working their butts of for me if they want to keep their job”.
Sure you can take this stance. And it can even work. But how is morale? When the market is hot for job seekers, can you keep and attract new employees? Is this a long term strategy? And if it isn’t working, why keep doing it? Try something new.
Bottom line, just as when you add value for a client or customer and they become more committed to you, so it is that adding true value to your employees can help an employee commit and in turn propel your own success and the success of your company. So instead of sucking the life out of employees, fill them up.