LOVE IN THE WORKPLACE

There is often a lot of talk about "family", "empowerment" and "caring" in the workplace, but often these are empty words that are not substantiated by action.
Even those with the best of intentions are often not sure how to express a loving, caring attitude without losing authority or appearing to be soft. Here are some ways to make it happen:

1. Do what you say you will do. Follow through. Being consistent and reliable not only shows your integrity, but also demonstrates your commitment.

2. Don't promise anything that you are not prepared to follow through with.  If you are going to create a sense of teamwork, then you must be prepared to relinquish some pride, deliberately empower others, and delegate responsibility so others can shine. Think this through before you promise it, or your words will be empty.

3. Learn to be a good listener. Stop what you are doing when someone is talking to you, shift mental gears and give that person your full attention.

4. Be watchful for changes in attitude, both positive and negative. You can pick up changes through body language, eye contact or lack thereof, speed of walking and speech, etc. Be aware of what may be going on with people in your workplace.

5. Nip things in the bud if you sense there may be a problem with one or more employee. They may be work related or not, but the fact you are paying attention and care enough to explore sends a positive message.

6. Be considerate of other people's time and work schedule, regardless of position.

7. Model respect for each person in the organization and have zero tolerance for anyone who does not treat others with respect. 

8. Be appreciative of those who show initiative, go the extra mile and look out for the best interests of the organization. Numerous studies have shown that feeling appreciated and having effort acknowledged is more important to employees than an extra benefit or a raise in pay.

9. Pay competitively. If employees are worth keeping, they are worth getting paid as well by you as they would be elsewhere. Don't risk losing a good employee who may take a job with a different organization for a few dollars a month. It's not good business sense, because hiring and re-training is costly, but if you don't pay a fair wage, you are not treating your employees as you would want to be treated.

10.Remember that modeling love is simply good leadership that demonstrates the best of who you can be in the workplace. JS

KEY QUESTIONS:

1. If your employees and/or volunteers were to rate you on the above, how do you think you would score?
2. If you were to rate yourself, how would you do?
3. What actions can you take today to change some of your behavior or attitudes that are not in line with the person you want to be?