“At work, my opinions seem to count.”
Since we know that your employees want to be heard and contribute meaningfully to the organization, how are you facilitating this as a leader?
I know several organizations that are led by “enlightened” individuals who are not afraid to admit they don’t have all the answers. Moreover, they are willing to ask workers in all levels of the company what their opinions are about their programs, employee issues, safety concerns, etc. As a leader, it can be challenging to hear the responses. You may get a feeling of “We can’t afford to make that change,” or, “I wish I hadn’t asked this since it’s clear that I can’t make everyone happy.”
Ultimately, if you are the Executive Director or President, the buck stops with you. Isn’t it better to have the input before you make the decision, knowing that you at least considered all the ideas put forth from others?
What the research tells us is that when employees are allowed and encouraged to contribute their ideas and opinions, they feel valued. Employees who feel valued are more engaged and therefore more productive and more likely to stay with the organization.
You probably can think of examples at your workplace where an employee(s) came up with an idea that was useful. As a result, the commitment level to implementing the idea was higher than normal because the worker was invested in the plan.
I challenge you as a leader to increase your receptivity to employee’s ideas and opinions and I would love to hear how it works for you. I welcome you to post on this blog or e-mail me and I can share the info anonymously.
Happy Thanksgiving!