Managing to create loyalty

It may be difficult to know, upon hiring a new employee, who will be successful and loyal, who you can trust with your business and your clients, and who will master the projects you give them. You can, however, create a work culture that encourages this kind of employee behavior. We teach others how to treat us, in our every interaction. This is true in personal relationships (thanks, Dr. Phil!) but it's also true of our work lives.

First, let's look at your management style. Do you prefer to tell people what to do, watch to see if they fail, and then chew them out to prevent them from making mistakes in the future? Do you prefer to be in control, sometimes second guessing your people, even in areas that aren't your expertise? This management style is called "authoritarian." Do you prefer to lead by committee, or let your employees figure out what to do on their own? This kind of manager may listen to what employees say, but may not offer any guidance, and seldom goes to bat with upper management for his employees; acting more or less as a messenger from the higher ups, trying to be the "nice guy." This is the "permissive" employer style. Finally we have the manager who listens to and appreciates employee ideas, but stands firm on deadlines and standards; gives guidance where it is helpful, champions promising employees, and utilizes team work and committees to inspire and inform. This style is called "authoritative."

Each style has its benefits to those who use it. But who do you think retains the best employees? Whose protegés will go on to climb the ladder of success? Some people thrive in a negative environment, they like the challenge, or feel safer with a boss to tell them what to do. Some people are self starters and can fill their role without much prompting. But most employees want a balance between guidance and freedom, they want to know their work is appreciated, and a benefit to the company. They want to know that they're taken care of but also expected (and allowed!) to grow and learn with their career.

Think of the bosses you have had in life. Which ones did you feel the most loyal to? When you think of the range of employee types, whom would you prefer on your team?

What makes a company work.

We all know that no company can work without good people to run it, but not everyone agrees on what that entails. A positive office environment should facilitate productivity and job satisfaction at the same time, but how do you achieve both? Usually either you're overworked and unsatisfied, or things are a little too easy and it seems like coworkers are socializing and having fun instead of working for their pay! The purpose of this blog is to provide tips and ideas for furthering that magical mix of productivity and social bonding that can make your business thrive.

You may not realize that you have the power to improve office relationships among your coworkers and employees, especially if you're in a particularly competitive or established office culture. But every culture allows some room for creating alliances, and your positive effect on those around you will be contagious. Over the weeks we'll look at how to establish a good team base, how to create alliances with other positive folks, how to enlist your boss in your career success, and how to bring out the best in those that work under you. We'll also discover the best ways to handle those difficult personalities around us, without letting them get under our skin.

The first step, as in any relationship evaluation, is to look at yourself. What are your pluses and minuses? Can you put yourself in others' shoes and take a good hard look at what they see in you? The better you understand how you are perceived, the more you will be able to adjust your own behavior for more positive, fulfilling, and goal-oriented results. After all, we can't change others, we can only change how we react to them. And in changing our responses, we can change everything!