Whether you mean to or not, you are constantly communicating to your employees. You must be intentional about the messages they receive. I learned this from dogs and children, and our grown-up employees are just as observant.
My dog observes what I do and modifies his behavior from what he’s learned. For example, he knows that when I start cleaning up after a meal, his chances for a snack drop dramatically. He is by my side while cooking and eating but he disappears when I start putting things away.
In the evening, he knows it is walk time – despite not being able to tell time.
After hearing me say “get on the sidewalk” many time he learned to respond to “sidewalk” without me ever intentionally teaching that command.
Kids are smarter. I coached 4- and 5-year old kids in soccer. We never kept score, but they sure did. They always told us who won the game.
The employees you count on to run your business are far smarter and more aware than children or dogs. They watch what you do. You inadvertently teach them behaviors and responses through your actions and decisions. They respond based on what they’ve learned. Hopefully you are sending the right messages.
If you aren’t intentional about your values, your goals, and your culture, you may have a team that has taught themselves the wrong lessons.
If your decisions and actions don’t align with your goals and values, your team will lose trust in your leadership.
Staying true to your values and goals is vital. The culture you create and the success your team can have depends on it. You need to be intentional on your goals, values, and actions or risk losing trust.
From your vision, your values, and your passions, your strategic plan is born.
If you’d like to create a killer strategy and culture and don’t know where to start, let’s work on it together. You can reach us at https://opalpg.com/contact/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmatt/.
