How to Be a Calm Business Leader During a Disaster

Let’s face it, we’ve all had more than our fair share of disaster as of late. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most of us to adapt to unexpected change, which has been made all the more difficult due to the great deal of uncertainty surrounding the situation. At times of crisis, people tend to look toward strong and calm leaders to guide them. We only have to look toward those countries where this has been notably absent to see how a lack of clear guidance can lead to chaos.

The same goes for business. It’s perfectly natural to be caught off guard when a crisis occurs. However, it’s how you respond that can dictate whether your company is flailing to keep itself from sinking or addressing the challenges and adapting successfully. As a leader, your attitude influences those around you, and more often than not your employees and colleagues will emulate your approach. If you exude a sense of calm, you can set them on the right course. 

It’s not always easy, though. You are only human, after all, and not impervious to the pressures of a disaster. Therefore, it’s important to consider what strategies you can employ to make it easier to maintain calm when it seems everything around you is going wrong.

Plan Ahead

When a crisis arises, there tends to be a lot of confusion in the air. Likely, you’ll even be caught off guard yourself. This is why it’s important to formalize protocols that can be put into action when sudden change occurs. This gives you a step-by-step framework for how to proceed, even when you are still trying to wrap your head around the extent of what is happening elsewhere in the business.   

Writing a business continuity plan is vital here. The main goal of this tool is to ensure that when a disaster occurs, the company can keep running at an optimal level of performance. That said, an effective continuity plan doesn’t equate to a comprehensive roadmap for all disasters; rather, it produces protocols to respond to each type that is likely to affect operations. This generally includes power outages, pandemics, cyber attacks, and natural disasters — all of which are common dangers to most types of business. Bear in mind too, that there are likely to be specific challenges based on your geographical area. Look into the likelihood of severe storms, flooding, and earthquakes. This is particularly important in our contemporary environment, as the effects of climate change are expected to result in increased natural disasters.   

Each scenario needs to have a clear order of operations. This includes those who are primarily responsible for executing elements of the plan and how they should be contacted. Central to maintaining your calm during problems is the knowledge that you also have all the resources to fix those problems ready in your plan. Set up financial safety nets — emergency cash funds, lines of credit with backup suppliers, and make certain that your insurers have reinsurers in the case that your original underwriters go bankrupt during a disaster. 

Keep Communicating

We tend to associate calmness with quiet. However, this is almost the opposite of what a leader should be doing during a disaster. While you certainly shouldn’t be raising your voice or confusing matters with a lot of chatter, communication should remain constant. A silent leader leaves their business uncertain and unsupported. 

Your first responsibility here is to keep on top of the company-wide disaster communication strategy. Ensure that as soon as the crisis hits, you and the key members of your team engage in communications triage. Seek to understand who needs to receive communications — staff, customers, suppliers — and what the clearest, quickest, and most effective form of outreach is for the circumstances. It’s also important to be transparent here. A calm leader does not seek to hide the situation from stakeholders. Honest and accountable communication breeds trust.

Throughout the immediate emergency, and beyond, the key to success is in how you approach your communications. At a time when your staff feels at sea, you must exude confidence. This not only comes from communicating with your employees pragmatically but also maintaining clarity. If you make your expectations clear, you give the impression that these actions will have a positive effect on the situation. Your employees want to be assured that you know what you’re doing, and decisiveness is one of the qualities we all look for in good leaders. The best way to represent this is to keep in constant communication with staff about where the company is and where you intend for it to go. 

Engage in Collaboration

Part of being a calm and effective leader is knowing that you can’t take care of a crisis on your own. In fact, the failure to collaborate effectively increases vulnerability in a crisis. As early as possible, you need to gain the input and support of key staff from each department of your business.

Form a team made up of members of each department in your organization. This doesn’t necessarily have to be management; they should be staff who have in-depth knowledge of their area of business operations and be able to assess what the challenges can be during a disaster. Their first collaboration should be in the continuity planning phase; their insights into the potential for issues and how to solve them is invaluable. When a crisis hits, bring them together and make certain that they are working as a team to enact solutions. This delegation of responsibility means that the most urgent matters are being taken care of, and still leaving you free to calmly address other issues.  

 Your collaboration should also be with your industry partners and the local community. You know that these disasters don’t occur in a bubble, they affect others too. Strong partnerships are an essential part of leadership, and you should be focusing on the relationships you’ve built to improve your response to the crisis. This doesn’t just mean reaching out to seek assistance; being a calm leader is also about knowing that you have things under control, so you can afford to help others too. Seek to understand how your business can assist those in your network or local area to weather the storm too. 

Conclusion

You can’t effectively get your business through a crisis if you can’t keep a clear head. By making sure you plan ahead, you have the tools to confidently meet the challenges you face. In maintaining clear communication, and positive collaboration, you can guide your business through the worst, and inspire your team to thrive beyond it. 

About the Author: Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but technology and business topics are his favorite. When he isn't writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.

Lean Tips Edition #166 (#2701-#2715)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #2701 – Stick to Your Goals: Create a Measurable Goal.

Don't bother creating a vague resolution like, "I want to get healthier," or "I want to be happier." Some days you'll feel as though you're reaching your goals, but other days you won't--and an intangible, vague goal will cause you to feel lost. 

Create measurable goals like, "I want to go to the gym three nights per week," or "I want to see my friends twice a month." Then, you'll have a clear target to aim for.

Lean Tip #2702 – Stick to Your Goals: Identify Clear Action Steps.

You can't lose weight or get out of debt without actions steps that will help you get there. Create a plan that includes objectives that will create change.

Whether you are going to eat a salad for lunch every day or you're going to stop eating out until you've paid off your credit card bill, commit to taking action that will help you get closer to your goal.

Lean Tip #2703 – Stick to Your Goals: Set Yourself Up for Success.

It's easy to feel motivated early on in the process. But after a week or two, your motivation will naturally wane.

To prepare yourself for that dip in motivation, set yourself up for success well in advance. Make bad habits inconvenient and good habits convenient.

Store the cookies in a hard to reach place. Keep your workout gear packed and ready to go. You'll be more likely to do things that feel easy, even when your motivation declines. 

Lean Tip #2704 – Stick to Your Goals: Plan for Obstacles.

There will always be temptations and obstacles that could easily derail you from your resolution. It may be an invitation to dinner that could blow your budget--or your diet. Or it may come in the form of a special project at work that leaves you with fewer hours to devote to your goals.

Think about the obstacles you're likely to encounter in the first weeks after establishing your resolution. Consider how you'll navigate these challenges, and develop a plan.

Planning ahead for the probable challenges can help you feel equipped to handle the unexpected obstacles that crop up along the way as well.

Lean Tip #2705 – Stick to Your Goals: Track Your Progress.

You need to know if you're headed in the right direction. So it's important to find a way to track your progress.

Use an app or a calendar to check off the days you work on your goal. Or create a chart, spreadsheet, or graph that helps you visualize your progress.

When you're able to see how you're doing and the steps you're taking, it can remind you how far you've come. Reviewing your effort can also help you stay on course when it feels as though you're not making any headway (which is common).

Keep in mind that progress doesn't always come in a straight line. Sometimes, things get a little worse before they get better--but this doesn't mean you should give up.

Lean Tip #2706 – A Culture of Collaboration Leverages Employee’s Knowledge

Having a culture of collaboration enables organizations to maximize the knowledge and capabilities of their employees. Ideas and information spread more easily when employees communicate and collaborate across an organization. When planning your improvement initiatives be sure to assemble a diverse team to collaborate and present ideas.

Process improvement is a team effort, so it is essential to let everyone know “we’re in this together.” To demonstrate this attitude, some businesses hold cross-functional process improvement brainstorming sessions to get teams thinking outside the box about process improvement. These sessions can also serve as an opportunity to work through process pain points together to jointly come up with the best improvement ideas.

Lean Tip #2707 – Leadership Credibility is Critical for Employee Buy In

Most sustainable business transformations start at the top and trickle down. It’s impossible to promote a culture of continuous change if managers doubt the benefits of organizational changes. Meet with your leaders early on to explain key points of the proposed changes. Gaining support from leaders at different levels in the organization will make your plan stronger and ensure managers have time to prepare for questions that may arise throughout the process.

The credibility of your leader is crucial in getting people to buy in on the change. Their words must be backed up with actions, and those actions and support should be visible to your entire operation. This ensures a strong and visible network of leaders to generate momentum for  the process improvement initiatives.

Lean Tip #2708 – Build Trust With Open and Transparent Communication 

One of the best ways to build trust with your team members is to be open and transparent with your intentions, your projects, and your progress. Establish a constant communication plan to keep your team involved in your improvement efforts. Use many different forums to consistently communicate the vision and the new changes: large group meetings, memos, emails, newsletters, posters, and informal one-on-one talks. 

Real buy-in invites discussion, debate, and allows everyone to feel even more vested in the outcome. Establish a way from team members to communicate with you about their thoughts on the proposed changes. The feedback you’ll receive is critical and will allow you to refine your targets and foresee roadblocks that you may have been unaware of.

Lean Tip #2709 – Have A Clear Vision 

As you develop changes or make decisions that will affect your workforce, you should consider how you will communicate these changes and the reasoning behind them.  Clearly state what will be changing and why.

Make sure you show them why these changes matters to the organization, how it will positively impact their careers, and how you plan to measure success. Without knowing why you’re starting a new initiative, employees have no reason to be on board with the approach you present.

People have trouble developing a vision of what life will look like on the other side of a change. So, they tend to cling to the known rather than embrace the unknown. If your vision for the future is clear and communicated well, then your team will be more willing to follow you forward.

Lean Tip #2710 – Ensure Your Team has Proper Training

People are only as effective as the tools that they have available. Ensure that your team has the proper training, ongoing support, and the resources they need to get involved with your improvement initiatives.

The impact of offering training to your staff is two-fold. First, it ensures your teams have the proper training, ongoing support, and the resources they need to get involved with and contribute to your continuous improvement initiatives. Second, providing your employees with training that will further their skill-sets demonstrates the organization’s willingness to invest in them and their careers.

Lean Tip #2711 – Hear What Your Employees Are Actually Saying

The most powerful way to build any relationship and make someone feel valued is to listen. Opening your ear to employees to find out what’s going right and wrong is smart business. You avoid many plane crashes by regularly asking people, “How’s it going?”, before really listening to their answer. It’s always nice to get a compliment, but there’s real gold in well-intentioned criticism from a loyal employee. The only way you’ll get the gold is by actively listening.

—Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group and Shark on ”Shark Tank″

Lean Tip #2712 – Empower, Ask, and Listen

Our job as leaders is to empower our teams and root for them. My employees unequivocally know that I want to win, but not at their expense. Make it clear to your employees that you want them to be happy and live their dreams. Instill a strong sense of trust and safety. That kind of support builds insane loyalty, while inspiring employees to go all in and deliver.

Another hallmark of a good leader is to ask questions. It’s the best way to show your team that you recognize they’re more than just cogs on a wheel. “Hey, how are things going?” “How’s the new baby?” “What are you excited about lately?” “Any ideas you’d like to discuss?” And then, for God’s sake, listen.

—Gary Vaynerchuk, founder and CEO of VaynerMedia (700+ employees with over $100 million in annual revenue), NYT-bestselling author, and mentor on Planet of the Apps

Lean Tip #2713 – Help Every Employee Reach Their Goals

You need to hold people accountable to their goals. One of the big steps in that process is having someone identify their true motivation, or why.

Create an environment that encourages and fosters this type of growth. Schedule team and individual meetings where you create the opportunity for employees to define their why. Encourage them to set ambitious goals at work and in their personal lives.

Finally, act as a coach and accountability partner as they implement their goals. When you take a genuine interest in your employees and impact their lives beyond the office, you build lasting relationships and a more loyal tribe.

—Tom Ferry, CEO of Tom Ferry International, ranked the #1 Swanepoel Power 200 real estate coach, and NYT-bestselling author of ″Life! By Design”

Lean Tip #2714 – Give Employees Room to Try New Things and Fail

Encourage your employees to take responsibility and embrace accountability, and you’ll build trust and connections like nothing else — if you deal with their learning curves and failures appropriately.

One of my department heads once cost our company $30,000. We arranged a meeting early the next morning. I kicked it off by getting his valued input on upcoming strategic plans. He stopped me a minute into the conversation and said: “You know I cost the company $30,000. I thought you asked me here to fire me.”

“Fire you?” I said. “Why would I fire someone just after investing $30,000 into their education?”

—John Hanna, author of ”Way of the Wealthy″ and CEO of Fairchild Group

Lean Tip #2715 – Invest In Your Most Important Asset

When your team is happy, energetic, and excited, they’re better equipped to deal with paying customers and their positive energy is infectious.

I create this by investing money, but most importantly, my personal time. I get to know my employees by asking meaningful questions (family, spouse, children), and do my best to remember the answers.

A true leader is in the trenches with their team, fighting for the same goals together. That’s how you build relationships. Keep the best talent by keeping them happy. After all, people are more important than the dollars they generate.

—Mark Bloom, president at NetWorth Realty, ranked by Glassdoor among the “Best Places to Work” for two consecutive years

 

Lean Quote: Humility and Awe

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"My dreams are my dress rehearsals for my future."   —  David Copperfield

Does everything in life go exactly how you plan it? Of course not.

Here’s the principle: Expect great things to happen, be happy even when they don’t.

However, just because things don’t go exactly according to plan doesn’t mean you aren’t in control. It is your decisions, not your conditions, which determine your destiny.

I don’t think happiness is so much about what you have. What you have changes; your “blessings” evolve. Happiness is about how you interpret what’s in front of you. How proud you are of the way you live your life. How willing you are to enjoy simple pleasures, even if things aren’t perfect.

When you take up the responsibility to live your life according to design rather than default, you will constantly be humbled and in awe. You’ll be blown away as you watch life unfold as you saw it in your head — as your physical world conforms itself to your thoughts.

Lean Roundup #140 – January 2021

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January 2021.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here. 

The Disaster of Lean Training - Bob Emiliani questions the impact of short-term training cycles to substantially change us personally or our organizations.

What is Courage & What’s It Mean for Strategy? - Pascal Dennis talks about how we sustain our drive in the face of hurtles, hassles, and hammerheads.

Why Your Productivity Hacks Don’t Hack It - Dan Markovitz shares four countermeasures that will help reduce the systemic load on personal productivity.

What are Lagging & Leading Indicators? How are they related? Why are they important? - Steve Kane shares article to help people at all levels of the organization understand how metrics help process owners more deeply understand the current state of business operations.

How to Have a Happy New Year - Jon Miller discusses whether we make this new year a better one will depend on what we choose to make of it.

Driving Innovation and the Role of the Board of Directors - Jamie Flinchbaugh shares a few ideas on boards can spend more time on innovation then governance.

Leadership Tip #1: Always Tell the Truth, Even When You’re Embarrassed - Johanna Rothman discusses the importance of always telling the truth.

Courage and Bravery - Bob Emiliani asks why people lack the courage to forcefully say what needs to be said to Lean practitioners and business leaders about Lean management.

Amy Edmondson on How to Really Learn From Failure and Mistakes - Mark Graban shares a 2011 HBR article from Amy Edmondson on strategies from learning from failure.

Standardized Work is a Goal To Work Toward, Not a Tool to Implement - Jeffrey Liker explains that standardized work can be an ugly thing in the hands of control-oriented bureaucrats and a beautiful thing when it enables creativity and continuous improvement.

How to Engage Everyone to Create a “Continuous Innovation Machine” - Jim Morgan explains which of the three elements – people, processes, or tools – he believes is paramount in lean product and process development and why.

Let's Celebrate Work - John Shook challenges us to aim to make all work meaningful by building our businesses based on the work itself and prioritizing the means over the ends.

How the Hoshin Kanri Process Coupled with Coaching Drives Lean Transformation,” Part 1 & Part 2 - Laura Mottola shares some of the intangibles you'll need to know to execute an organizational transformation using hoshin kanri.

Ask Art: Why Are Leaps of Faith Involved in a Lean Turnaround? - Art Byrne explains why leaps of faith are required to make a successful lean turnaround.

The Power of Reflection In The Workplace

In general, reflection is understood as the process of learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and/or practice. This often involves examining assumptions of everyday practices. It also tends to involve the individual practitioner in being self-aware and critically evaluating their own responses to situations. The point is to recapture experiences and mull them over critically in order to gain new understandings and improve future practices.

Reflection is an important part of the human experience that differentiates us from other living beings. It is fundamental to our growth and development, especially in developing higher mental functions such as problem solving and decision-making skills.

Reflection requires several skills which can easily be developed.

• Self-awareness – an ability to pause, to pay attention to thoughts and feelings and to self-question non-judgementally. This will help you to become aware of your habitual ways of thinking and behaving in any given situation).
• Description – it is important to be able to describe / recall situations neutrally. These questions can help. What did I see and feel happening? What background factors played a role? What were the things under my control? How would other people involved describe me and the situation?
• Critical analysis – the ability to challenge your assumptions by asking yourself: Is what I am thinking about myself, others or the situation true? Where do I need to focus next?
• Review – an ability to pause and to ask: ‘What would I do differently next time and why? How exactly will I do it and how will that give me the outcome I want?’
• New learning and next steps – an ability to learn about yourself from experiences (your potential and areas for improvement) rather than seeing yourself or others as a failure.

Reflection can be a very empowering process. It can help you to make sense of your day; to come to decisions, to set a course of action; to step away from your habitual way of doing and thinking and discover new freedoms and opportunities.

As a leader, we need all the learning we can get – and reflection is the most powerful opportunity we have. Applying these ideas will make you more effective, productive, and successful in all areas of your life.

So, what have you learned today?

Lean Quote: The 3 R’s of Choice

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"We are not animals. We are not a product of what has happened to us in our past. We have the power of choice."   —  Stephen Covey

There are three components to having the power to make choices:

1. The right to choice
2. The responsibility to choose
3. The results of choice

If you don’t believe you have the ability to make choices, you have been deceived. You make choices every single day. You’re making a choice right now.

When you take responsibility for your choices, you realize there is no neutral ground. Every decision you make has inherent meaning and consequence. Every decision you make also reflects what you truly believe, far louder than any words you speak. Thus, what you do with your time actually does matter. Who you spend your time with does matter. Everything you do matters when you take responsibility.

Lastly, results. Every decision has a consequence. Said Dr. Stephen R. Covey,

“We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from those actions are controlled by principles.”

Every decision (and indecision!) has a consequence. Withholding the words, “I love you,” to a child or spouse could be more detrimental than you imagine. Conversely, doing small and simple things, like making someone feel special or smiling at a stranger could change their whole day, and whole life!

To quote the song “Have I Done Any Good?”:

“Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed. There are chances for work all around just now, Opportunities right in our way. Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,” But go and do something today.”

Every choice has a ripple effect.

Lean Tips Edition #165 (#2686 - #2700)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #2686 - Communicate Your Vision to Employees

Every successful business has a vision. Maintain regular communication about the company’s vision and request your employees and other people to help you to achieve it. Sharing your business motives with your employees allows them to set their mission and the future leaders see their future in your company and work towards attaining it. Therefore, it is imperative to have a common goal with your employees. Keep them on track each day to ensure that they do not lose focus. Always remember that the future of leadership in your company is determined by the manner that you handle your current workers.

Lean Tip #2687 - Keep Regular Monitoring, Measuring and Rewarding of the Employees

Every employee should be accountable and answerable for their performance. Those that show great efforts and appetite for producing better results should also be rewarded. Rewarding your employees makes them feel appreciated. They put more effort to clinch higher positions and achieve their goals. Ensure that the incentive and appraisal system that you use evaluates your employees’ performance with fairness and rewards the deserving candidates.

Lean Tip #2688 - Show Employees You Trust Them

If you want to help employees develop, trust them to do their jobs by getting out of the way. Let them know what your expectations are by modeling the behavior you expect—show them you trust them. This not only lets employees know what they need to succeed and gives them greater ownership, but it also shows them that credibility and trust are important in your organization.

Lean Tip #2689 - Teach Employees the Difference Between Leadership and Tyranny by Example.

Employees look to supervisors to set the standard for leadership in any workplace. As the primary example of what leadership look like, supervisors have to strike a balance between tyrant and pushover. You can’t let lousy workplace behavior or poor performance slide, but you also can’t resort to unfair punishment for employee mistakes. Just remember, future leaders in the organization will learn what acceptable leadership behavior is from the current people in management positions.

Lean Tip #2690 - Train Promising Employees to be Active Leaders, Not Passive Ones. 

Leaders need to be engaged in the work they’re doing and in the work they’re supervising. Many employees do not feel that their performance is managed in a manner that encourages them to do the best possible work. Encourage your leaders to take a more active hands-on leadership approach.

Encourage future leaders to bear part of the work burden. Managers and supervisors should delegate work when necessary, but they should also be closely involved with the work of the people they’re leading. Leaders should demonstrate to those under them that they are not above the work they’re assigning.

Lean Tip #2691 – Never Underestimate the Value of Sharing Your Time and Building a Relationship With Staff.

They appreciate your genuine interest in their ideas and thoughts about their jobs. They like bouncing ideas back and forth with you and look for your sincere input on their projects and goals.

The role of mentor and coach is powerful in training your organization’s culture and expectations. It is also a significant source of experiential knowledge, history, work approaches, and on-the-job training.

Pay attention to your staff, recognize them, and provide exciting work. Provide constructive criticism, that they will actually implement, you must have a relationship with them first.

Lean Tip #2692 –One of the Best Forms of Recognition is to Provide Opportunities for a Contributing Employee.

Opportunities can take many forms. But, all of them are outside of the normal day-to-day requirements of their job plan.

Employees appreciate chances for training and cross-training. They want to participate in a special committee where their talents are noticed. They’d like to lead a team that is pursuing an important objective. 

They are happy to attend professional association meetings and proud to represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events. They’d appreciate the green light relative to implementing an idea they have for increasing morale in your workplace. They are eager to stop doing portions of their job that have become rote in favor of new goals and assignments that stretch their skills and build on their abilities.

Lean Tip #2693 – Connect to the Bigger Picture

Recognition helps employees see that their company values them and their contributions to the success of their team and the company overall.

This is particularly key when organizations grow or change. It helps employees build a sense of security in their value to the company, motivating them to continue great work.

Regularly share news about how the company is striving to reach the mission, and explain how individual employee goals relate to that vision.

Lean Tip #2694 – Connect Recognition to Company Values

Another way to ingrain recognition into company culture is to relate it directly to your organization’s core values. This can take praise to a deeper level; rather than simply recognizing an employee’s great work on a project, you can explain how that work epitomizes the organization’s mission and is a key step toward its big-picture goals. Employees will see that their work is integral to the success of the company, which should help to inspire their work on a daily basis.

Lean Tip #2695 – Recognition Is More Than Words

There are so many ways to praise your employees. You can write positive feedback or publicly recognize employees at a team or company meeting. You can give them a handwritten note or gift. If the team has a big success, you can switch up the daily routine—let them come into work a bit late or leave a little early, or do a fun virtual activity.

Another way to recognize employees is through your actions. That could be a raise or promotion, or it could be that you assign them a big new client or let them take on more responsibility. It’s a way to exhibit trust and demonstrate that you’re invested in their long-term growth. Want to learn more? Check out our other resources on recognition and feedback.

Lean Tip #2696 – Earn Respect, Show Humility.

Be willing to admit your flaws, but do not focus on them. You should have some self-depreciation, but it should be paired with self-confidence. People generally will not respect a leader who appears insecure and continuously mentions their shortcomings.

Show your human side but maintain a sense of bravado and self-assurance.

Lean Tip #2697 – Earn Respect, Have Patience With Others.

Realize that co-workers each have their individual levels of learning and adapt to new tasks and job assignments accordingly. Praise others as they master each step of their new assignments. Having patience with others will demonstrate you have confidence in co-workers and believe they can expand their knowledge and skills. People are most likely to respect those who treat well and will not fear approaching them with problems or questions.

Lean Tip #2698 – Earn Respect, Be Inclusive

Tell employees about changes in the organization and what impact it may have on all involved. Encourage employees to ask questions and stay informed about what is happening within the company. One simple way to accomplish is to publish an office newsletter. 

Lean Tip #2699 – Earn Respect, Share Knowledge With Co-Workers

This action demonstrates that you have confidence in their abilities to handle new situations and that you respect them enough to share this important information. As you seek knowledge, you must also learn the value of communal learning.

This will help you form a team mentality in the workplace and include others in your success. Respected people are seldom loners on the road to success. They include others along their journey and make it known that everyone has a role in the success of the company.

Lean Tip #2700 – Earn Respect, Praise Workers

This enhances their confidence in their skills. It may encourage them to work harder and learn new tasks and skills. If you must give criticism, combine it with praise for what the employee does well. If something does go wrong, do not publicly blame anyone else. If addressing a group, explain the problem and what steps are being taken to prevent future occurrences.