Give employees a voice, NOT a vote

Giving your employees a voice, doesn't mean that they automatically get to vote on your decisions.

NO WAY.

YOU DECIDE.

Being listened to and heard is highly engaging for pretty much every employee. The process of managers asking employees for their opinions is crucial to engagement and high performance.

Companies that enable employee conversations have higher engagement and make 23% more profit. Leaders that listen have higher scores, more innovation on the team and have better careers.

But listening doesn't mean that managers have to take on board everything that gets said or dumped at their door. That is not your job.

Fear of listening is a barrier to manager/employee conversations. It is why so many managers avoid conversations or tap out early on engagement. They worry that listening means they HAVE to take on board others opinions. YOU DON'T.

Many Managers are concerned that asking for input and not taking it all on board lets employees down. They would rather get on with it, do it their way. But this is way more frustrating for employees than not being heard.

You are the leader. You make the decisions. But by asking for input it automatically makes you more engaging. When you listen and explain why you decide to do something in a certain way, your engagement, trust and credibility sky rockets.

Just be sure to explain your rationale for decisions. Be ready to explain WHY you are doing something. Not just what it is. This is when employees start to see your way, your thinking and your rationale. They see first hand how you listened and decided. They were INVOLED.

Engagement doesn't come from the lunchtime BBQ, yoga or the cinema tickets. It's about your employee conversations.

So give them a voice, not a vote with THESE THREE THINGS:

1. Make a habit of asking for input. Start small if that helps.
2. Listen to employees ideas and nurture conversations
3. Decide your direction and explain your rationale.

Benchmark your listening and impact free here in less than 5 mins.

#employeeengagement #managers #listening #innovation #performance

Paul is an expert on manager/employee conversations. He is the bestselling author of Powerful Conversations for Managers. He is a speaker, mentor and coach, working with leaders and teams to lift impact and engagement.

Learn more at paulmatthews.com.au