In fact, good leaders regularly connect with employees to gain better company insight and develop personal relationships that drive productivity and engagement.
In a recent State of the American Workplace report, only 15% of employees strongly felt that leaders got them excited about the future of the company. How much higher could that percentage be if leaders took the time to connect with employees to share company growth and insight?
It comes down to creating opportunities for meaningful exchanges that aren’t always about the bottom line.
Here are seven ways to make closer connections with employees:
“How are you?” is a question you ask a stranger in passing. It’s not a daily question to ask an employee who is working to make your company money. Yes, the initial polite question is great. But dig deeper with follow-up, open-ended questions. Harvard Research shows that a single “How are you?” question won’t elicit much of a response.
As a leader, it’s easy to assume you have all the answers. But carefully listening to someone requires patience and practice. Control your reactions, and hear them out until the very end. Validate and verify you’ve heard what was said before making your own points. Think of the last time you didn’t feel “heard” in a conversation, especially if the urge to respond hits right away.
Team building can boost morale and employee wellness. Imagine how exciting it would be to connect with your colleagues over a task other than work. Unsure of where to start? Here’s seven ideas to get going.
Prior to making it to your leadership spot, think of your best employee-employer relationships. What stands out? Is it watching a leader make decisions with integrity? Hosting weekly team pep rallies? Prove you’re willing to work alongside employees and take their feedback, too.
Leaders don’t always have all the answers. Sometimes it takes time to collect data and then make a decision. Whether it’s in one-on-one conversations or group meetings, make it a point to show your employees that you’re human, too.
Eat with all of your team, not just fellow management and leadership.
It can be hard to make everyone’s schedules work, but make it a point to try and do it at least once a month. Everyone can relax over food; just be sure to ask about dietary restrictions if providing the meal.
When you shut yourself off from the team, it can come off as cold or uninterested. There will be times of intentional work focus, and make sure it’s clear well in advance when your team will not be able to reach you. Don’t make that every day, though. Ensure that you are reachable and open to connecting — whether it’s over lunch or your desk.
For companies that focus on creating a connection between leadership and employees, the result is higher employee engagement. By including employees in regular dialogue, it reaffirms the importance of their role within the company while developing leadership trust.
And while it’s great to connect with employees and even create close friendships, professionalism should be kept in check, too.
It’s fine to acknowledge friendships, but do keep inside jokes and weekend plans for outside the workplace. Otherwise leaders run the risk of alienating those who aren’t as personally close.
No matter how your leadership team decides to connect, doing it often and authentically will yield the best results for getting to know employees.
How do you get to know your employees? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!