Ask your team for advice
Twelve months ago I interviewed about 14 team members in key roles to get their thoughts on what their employer was doing well and advice on what they could do better. There were many improvement suggestions.
The senior management team, to their credit, took the advice and began making changes.
Recently I circled back to those I had interviewed to ascertain what their perception was of the last 12 months.
The positive feedback blew me away and in some areas, the shifts had been dramatic. It was like I had walked into a different company. The sun was shining.
From years of doing this, I have learned that when employees, at all levels, get to voice their joys and concerns and give their advice, and then, when senior management implements the findings into improvement initiatives, the results can be significant. And while not every recommendation gets actioned, just the fact they know you valued their thoughts and asked for their opinions is powerful in and of itself.
It’s also worthwhile noting that asking for advice is much more powerful than requesting feedback.
As one hotel business owner commented some time after my partner Michelle and I completed 37 interviews with his team: The main results include a stronger leadership team, greater staff satisfaction and efficiencies, record sales over the Christmas season and more time for myself to work on the business.
Ask your people for advice as to what you can do better and then take steps to make changes, all the while communicating progress.
It can revolutionise an organisation.
Ray
As an end note, the hotel owner finished off his testimonial by saying: “I highly recommend Ray’s services.” If you would like to discuss how we could make this happen for your company, feel free to reply to this email or call direct on +61 403 341 105.
And as many executives and business owners have said, by having someone outside the organisation conducting confidential interviews, it enables people to be more honest in their responses.
ray@rayhodge.com.au; www.rayhodge.com.au; +61 403 341 105