No matter your product or your industry, what truly makes your business a success, what sets you apart from your competitors, is your team. Your team is the backbone of your organization and their work can determine if you achieve your goals or not. That’s why making sure you have happy team members who know that their unique contributions are valued and appreciated, is vital to your success.
If you have team members that are not feeling the love, there are a few warnings signs that are easy to spot:
How to Spot an Unhappy and Disengaged Employee
1. Are they arriving late, leaving early, or not showing up at all? Increased tardiness, checking out on-the-dot, and frequently calling in sick are all signs that an employee would rather be anywhere else but work.
2. Are they losing their cool? If you see an employee not treating others with respect, having a bad attitude, or ignoring company rules or etiquette, there is likely something else going on with them.
3. Are they unproductive? An overall lack of motivation and drive will definitely lead to nonproductive behaviors. If they’re making excuses and missing deadlines, they’re not being fully productive that’s no bueno. Lack of productivity, costs money. A lot of money! In fact – one report by Gallup estimates that unhappy employees cost the U.S. about $500 billion in lost productivity each year.
None of these signs should be surprising. When you have an employee that doesn’t feel valued, they’re not going to value their work or the organization. And that disengagement will have a negative impact on your bottom line and team morale.
If you do have any team members that have been showing some of these signs there is some good news; by developing your leadership skills, you have the power to improve their performance by showing them that they are valued and appreciated.
It doesn’t take much, but adopting these three practices can go a long way in building trust and respect with your team.
Using Leadership Skills to Show Team Members That They Are Valued
• Put a cherry on top: When providing feedback, don’t just say “good job”, be specific. For example, if they handled a difficult interaction with a customer, tell them, “good job with that customer, thanks for being patient and professional.”
• Put your faith in them: Don’t hover. Don’t micromanage. When your employee knows that you trust them and have faith in the work they deliver, it’s letting them know that you value their contributions and their role within the organization. Their esprit de corp will rise.
• Put yourself out there and be vulnerable: Be open to connecting; share an experience or a challenge that you’ve had. Encourage and model open communication with your team and ask questions. Listen with intent and be honest in your responses. Truthful feedback will help you connect and build trust.
As a leader, one of the most important responsibilities you have is fostering your team and making each member feel valued and appreciated. Studies show that employees who feel valued and appreciated can be up to 50% percent more productive and businesses with engaged team members show 26% higher revenue than those with unhappy employees.
By developing your leadership skills, you can learn how to build trust and confidence with your team and create an environment that encourages engagement, commitment, and productivity.
Deseri Garcia
Most leaders struggle with disengagement, dysfunction, and non-productive behaviors with their teams. We deliver training that develops leaders and engages teams to increase your company results.