There really is no secret to what is going on here. As a matter of fact, when you hear the explanation, you will wonder why others are not doing the same and enjoying the same results.
The reason for this success is that the manager follows the concept of putting employees first. I know that this is different than what all of us have previously learned. From day one of our first job, we have been taught that the customer always comes first. However, if you think about it, taking care of your employees makes perfect sense, because the happiness of your customers is tied directly to the attitude of your employees. If your employees have a bad attitude they will not put forth their best efforts and will not go the extra mile to satisfy customers’ needs. Customers will pick up on this and soon will express their unhappiness by going elsewhere.
On the other hand, a fulfilled employee will smile and approach customers with a helpful attitude. They will be willing to go the extra mile for customer satisfaction and have fun doing it. Thus happy employees will equate to more satisfied customers.
How do we get fulfilled employees? In their book Instant Turnaround! : Getting People Excited About Coming to Work and Working Hard (2009), Harry Paul and Ross Reck talk about what they call Destination: Work. Under this concept, managers make work a place that employees get excited about coming to everyday. They feel that it is a place where they are appreciated and cared for.
According to Paul and Reck, there are four steps to success under Destination: Work. Step #1: Focus on people as well as performance numbers. Rather than worry about your performance numbers, put your employees first. If you do this, the numbers will take care of themselves.
Step #2: Motivate with trust instead of fear. As Paul and Reck said, “When people trust their managers, they know that he or she is going to take care of them. If they work hard, the manager will reciprocate.” To build trust, Paul and Reck talk about following the “Four Be’s”.
- Be Real: Be yourself and let the real you shine through. Don’t show a superior attitude. Make sure to reach out to those around you.
- Be Appreciative: Everyone wants to be appreciated. If people are shown appreciation, they are willing to work hard. Remember, a thank you goes a long way.
- Be Interested: This is done by getting out of your office and getting involved with your employees. You get to know them, and they get to know you better. Ask for their opinions and make a true effort to listen.
- Be Nice: Be a pleasant person to be around. Let others see your smile. Try to say or do something that brightens the day of each person you come in contact with.
Step #3: Turn work into fun. By turning work into fun, you can make even the most routine tasks into something enjoyable. How many times have you found yourself having fun at work, and look up to discover that it is time to leave for the day?
Step #4: Work to get senior management buy-in. In order for this concept to work, it is very important that everyone, including senior management, is onboard and supportive. The biggest single mistake is that senior managers don’t believe they need to be directly involved with their frontline employees. However, what they don’t understand is that by not interacting with their employees they are sending a message that they don’t care about them. Remember, that whatever behavior team leaders, supervisors, and senior managers model, employees will adopt.
As Paul and Reck point out in conclusion, Destination: Work is one of the best bargains on the earth. It cost nothing, requires almost no effort, drives performance numbers to new heights, makes an instant impact, and helps everybody win. Adopting this concept just makes sense.