Developing loyalty among employees in companies
large or small remains a fundamental component of
success. Building a corporate
culture that fosters allegiance, nurtures creativity and rewards hard work tends
to increases productivity and employee retention. As a managerial tactic, my mantra is a simple one: shout
praise but whisper criticism.
I have found respect is reciprocal and the
acknowledgement of one’s efforts is the cornerstone of cultivating
loyalty. Let’s face it…even the
most confident among us seek to have our efforts recognized and rewarded.
One area that is particularly key to building
and maintaining a solid corporate culture is allowing employees the opportunity
to share in the creative and/or policy-making process. A healthy dialogue facilitating an
innovative exchange of ideas serves to educate, empower and energize the
team. This is particularly
effective in smaller businesses.
My personal rule of thumb can be simplified with this analogy: I have
ten decisions awaiting a course of action. I engage my employees in these discussions. Often, their inclusion promotes an
eagerness to research and/or seek an enhanced expertise regarding the task at
hand.
Eight times out of ten times I will agree with these employee rendered decisions, a
byproduct of which is encouragement and recognition. Naturally, there are times when I cannot align myself with their
solutions, mostly, because as a seasoned CEO my experience has exposed me to
outcomes that have equipped me choose a better one. In either case, the
exercise usually serves to produce positive results and happier employees.
