Roundtable: How can your organization improve productivity and staff inclusion (Listening)

Listening.

This is the third part of our roundtable series.  Previously we considered communication and appreciation.

Do you listen to your team? Do you hear their input or only your own ideas?  I am not talking about hearing the chatter and noise in day-to-day conversations.  Listening is a skill.  It is vital for anyone, especially as a leader. If you want your team to trust you and collaborate with you, then they need to know you listen and that when they speak you are truly hearing what they say.

Choose to actively listen.  Make eye contact, acknowledge, and verbalize what they are saying to you so that you understand the message they are conveying.  Ask open-ended questions and confirm their responses.

Ask them questions that dig into the conversation and cause your team members to clarify the points being raised.  Ask them to discuss further what they have learned through situations and projects.

Don’t just nod your head when they are speaking, respond to the person talking.  Allow each person to express themselves without being interrupted.  Be constructive in your responses – such as, “How can I help you with this idea?” or, “You’ve raised a great point, let’s explore this and see how it might fit in this project.”

Being an active and responsive listener will foster a culture of respect, collaboration, and engagement of ideas across the team.  As conversations take place, ensure those who are quiet are allowed to engage. If your team believes you truly listen to them, this will influence how they act in the workplace and their performance.

You set the culture of the team and the workplace.  How can you actively engage your team by listening?

Roundtable: How can your organization improve productivity and staff inclusion? (Appreciation)

In the first article of our roundtable series, we looked at communication being a two-way conversation.

Let’s turn our attention to appreciation. 

The Merriam-webster dictionary tells us that appreciation is:

• a feeling or expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude.

Showing appreciation to our staff or volunteers, enables them to know they are valued, worthwhile, and respected.  We’re not talking about flattery.  Appreciating someone is recognizing their value and what they bring to the team.  When we appreciate the people in our team, we are acknowledging their worth and what they contribute to the whole.  Positively showing appreciation to our team empowers them to know they are valued, and in turn, they will want to do their best to edify each other and build the organization of which they are part of.

• Acknowledge the work they undertake.

• Enable opportunities for the team to develop professionally.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, trust, and respect among your team and model this in your leadership.

• Accommodate needs within your team where possible.

• Celebrate achievements and milestones.

Showing appreciation to your team empowers them, it affirms them, and amplifies their confidence.

How can you show appreciation to your team today?

The power of friendship - Karl Faase interviews Sheridan Voysey live

Who can you call at 2:00 am when everything has gone wrong?  I was observing Karl Faase from Olive Tree Media interviewing Sheridan Voysey about "The Power of Friendship".

A remarkably interesting conversation and far too short! However, from watching this interview, it is challenging to reflect on:

• busyness.
• valuing my friendships.
• being intentional about growing and deepening my friendships.
• Who are the people who find it hardest to build friendships?
• Friendships include boundaries and respect.
• Social media and how this has changed our relational interactions.
• Having healthy conversations that build our friendships. Healthy conversations also include the difficult discussions that occur.
• Have we lost the ability to handle conflict?

I encourage you to watch the interview and make your own observations.

For more information: www.friendshiplab.org