What companies are “doing” workplace morale right? That’s the question up for discussion via a series on workplace morale, which is running on both the Switch and Shift blog and SmartBlog on Leadership. In the spirit of promoting what tactics work for organizations, this series highlights the ideas and companies that are creating positive morale and thereby…
communications
Approachable Leadership — Be a Beacon Not an Island
As a leader, how do you let your team know you are available to them? Sure, you’ve probably said (more times than you can count) “I’m here if you need me.” That’s a good start, but is there a way you could visually send that message? Mr. People Equation sent me a New York Times…
Employee Engagement – Colleagues Can Kill It Too
There’s a lot of talk about how “management” plays a key role in fostering employee engagement but they’re not the only ones who can kill employees’ morale. Oh, no, colleagues can do a mighty fine job with that as well. Kevin Kruse, author of Employee Engagement for Everyone calls the road-weary co-workers the “Downers” (referring…
Managerial Expectations – Don’t Keep ‘Em Guessing
From time to time, Mr. People Equation and I talk shop about managerial things. As a director-level leader who has supervised technical professionals for more than a decade, he’s been around the block and I value his insights. The other day, he mentioned an Expectations List that he gives to employees new to his department. …
Auditing Your Workplace Relationships
First published in 1989, Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was life-changing for me in many ways. I especially appreciated the concept of the Emotional Bank Account, even though it technically isn’t one of the “habits”. Throughout my life, this simple idea of relationship “deposits” and “withdrawals” has helped me monitor…