Valuing Your Staff

Some may know the story of Kentucky State University’s interim President Raymond Burse

If you’re not familiar with this story, here’s what you need to know:  President Burse took a 25% pay cut to send a clear message to his staff that they were being asked to make sacrifices — and that he would be participating too.  Certainly he left a strong impression and demonstrated very concretely that he values the people who work with him.  Certainly he is to be admired and seen as a role model.  But we would venture to guess his generosity is less common than it might or should be.

We want to make two points here about the importance of valuing employees.

1. Valuing others makes every person and every leader a better human being. Being a great leader and being a good person are intimately and closely tied together.
2. Showing, and clearly demonstrating that your staff is valued pays enormous dividends in loyalty and increased productivity.

As to President’s Burse’s extraordinary act of selflessness and leadership we have the following thoughts:

If salaries are an organizational concern, consider increasing “minimum wages” to “living wages.” At least be clear in your own mind that low and minimum salaries (perceived or actual) may in some way be hurtful to almost any business. Why? — because it can result in high turnover (very costly), low motivation (very costly), and create an image of the organization that may hurt its brand (very costly). Of course expenses need to be kept in line, but within industries look at the low pay versus higher pay/benefit players and you will consistently observe that the higher more profitable companies pay better than others.

Never assume that people do not know what others (including you) are making and always remember that nothing undermines success like a sense of an “unfair” workplace. Remember when you felt unfairly compensated? Didn’t that feeling impact your motivation, loyalty, degree of engagement? What would you have wanted your leader to say or do?

Finally, we want to share ways we know create a culture or feeling of being valued. The more of these strategies you use, the more valued your staff will feel, and the more likely they will go the extra mile for you and/or your business. Use these with the intent of becoming a better human being and more effective leader and use both qualities to create a better, more productive workplace. Make them a habit — not a once in a while thing.

Value strategies . . .

• Listen

Actively focus on what others are saying — about work or personal issues — twice as frequently as you do now. Make who you are speaking with the focus of your attention not your phone, the wall, or your next meeting.

• Engage

Look at people when they interact with you. Call them by their name — pronounced correctly — and speak as if what you’re discussing matters — really matters!

• Relax

Stop rushing around like a crazy person including constantly checking your technology — unless you work for Google or Facebook or a company that makes money encouraging more time online. But, we have a theory — even in these technology companies: When it comes to showing people they are valued, people still want personal time, attention, and interest. Have a strong feeling Sheryl Sandburg (COO at Facebook) looks folks in the eye.

• Be Humble

Stop believing you are uniquely special and gifted. Everyone is special and gifted — each in their own way. Instead, stay modest and humble. This is an immensely underrated style in business. If you know any humble executives, chances are you love them. Be one!

• Be Accountable

Share responsibility but know you are totally accountable and take good and bad results with equal grace.

• Appreciate Others

Say thank you often and without fail. Of course people should do their job — but that’s irrelevant to the larger point here. People want to be “seen” and “recognized”. Don’t go overboard. A quick “Hey Sam, thanks for moving this forward” will do wonders! And never fail to do something because you cannot think of an eloquent thing to say or do — this may be another instance where less is better!

• Take Responsibility

Never blame others for what you should have known even if you didn’t know it.

• Show Respect

Respect the feelings, needs, sensitivities and differences of others. Just because “you don’t get it” doesn’t mean you should ever stop trying to “get” where others are coming from. Just making the effort shows you care. Or, as the late great Dr.Stephen Covey says: Seek first to understand rather than be understood. St. Francis of Assisi said something along the same lines.

• Care

Really care and don’t be a jerk! Sounds funny doesn’t it? But remember the classic Harvard Business School article on what kinds of people other people want to work with. They would rather work with a less sharp but easy to work with person than a smart person who

Additional Insights . . .

• Additional Reading
  • When you think about it, valuing others, is being civil—something in short supply. This book from 2003 gets at the core of how to be civil in the 21st century—nothing shows you value others as much as treating people with respect.
    Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct
  • If you figure out how to create the best workplace on earth you can be sure that this includes a great deal of focus on valuing others.
    Creating the Best Workplace on Earth