Open Door Policy

This piece is for our managers all over the country...


Four benefits of an “open door” policy:

Accessibility: Managers who demonstrate high levels of accessibility are more apt to have employees who feel comfortable stopping by for a quick chat to bring difficult issues, situations or ideas to the attention of their manager. This gives open door managers a better understanding and “pulse” on what is happening in the department or company on a daily basis.

Open flow of communication: Those with open door policies have easier access to more informal discussions – and these are the discussions that often lead to important insights about the business. Managers who shut their doors a lot may quickly find they are not in the loop with what’s happening in the department and company because a closed door can send the unintentional message that they are uninterested and disengaged in daily activities.

Fast access to information: Open door policies encourage employees to come by and speak up when issues or important situations arise or when employees have creative ideas. In fast-paced industries, quick access to information is key. A manager closing their door often will eventually cut themselves off from fast breaking situations or information because employees stopping by without an appointment will see the closed door and not want to interrupt, even when something is urgent.

Closer working relationships: An open door policy promotes a culture of friendly openness and builds a belief in others that the manager truly wants to be actively engaged with daily activities, thus fostering closer relationships with employees. Closed door activities can generate a feeling of formality in the work environment as well as a feeling of secretiveness, which can negatively affect relationships with subordinates.

When a manager’s door is often closed, over time it can create a barrier between the manager and his/her subordinates. This barrier can negatively affect many aspects of work from creating a formal, secretive environment where employees are afraid to speak freely to building a belief in others that the manager is disengaged from the business or just not interested; even causing subordinates to feel their manager is not trustworthy or that he/she withholds important information.
There are times that managers, even with an open door policy, must shut their door, such as for confidential employee discussions. Where the office environment is a cubicle for all employees and offices for managers, I recommend holding confidential employee discussions in conference rooms instead of the manager’s office.

Why? Because, over time, if subordinates see the manager closing their door mainly for confidential employee discussions, the manager could create a wave of anxiety that sweeps over the department whenever he/she brings an employee into their office and shuts the door.

Trust

I’m convinced that leadership is much more about who you are than what you do.

 As such, there is nothing that speaks more to the quality of your character and leadership than the amount of trust people place in you.

How as a driver, or manager do you earn trust?
The key word here is " earn".

You earn the trust of the people around you by caring about them and speaking to the and with them NOT at them.

Do you trust those people around you? How can you truly build a trusting relationship with anybody if you do not trust them too?

People trusting you DOES speak directly to YOUR character. In the end that is how things get done and that is the true value of your work.

Every day a new opportunity will present it self to you to show that you care, that want to help.eople are watching. Build on it, learn from it.

TRUST

" HOW "

When Managers Ask "How?"

I'll tell you how. How to build individuals and teams. How to create the conditions for motivation and engagement.
Here it is: If you are a manager giving an assignment, be clear about the "what"--then let your people deliver on how it will be done.

Why? Because you hired them for the how. Think about it. You looked at resumes and then hired people who had something that seemed unique or different. When you tell people how to do their jobs, you take away their identity. We all want to contribute. And that contribution is in the form of the unique way--how--we do our jobs.
Action: Define and get commitment on what you want done--then let people use their unique talents to decide how to do it. They'll grow by using their own trial-and-error process to perfect their methodologies.
You'll be seen as the manager who knows how to develop and engage your team. Suddenly, you'll find people approaching you and asking "Hey, how do you do it?"

  

This is not a dress rehearsal

This is it folks....we only have one short stint here on this wonderful earth....
This is NOT a dress rehearsal.... this is it.

Stop making excuses or delaying what you want to do and DO IT.

Stop the negativity and the chin in the chest attitude and think and be POSITIVE.

Who do you want to be... not what stuff do you want BUT who do YOU want to be?
How do you want to be remembered?
Did you make a difference in someone's life?
Did you give your best effort today and try to improve?

Do not wait for something bad to happen in your life to appreciate what you have right now.
Do not wait for bad news from a doctor to want to be healthy or appreciate your health or appreciate all the good in your life.

This is not a dress rehearsal folks..this is YOUR LIFE.... LIVE IT !

Being Heard

I think one of the more frustrating things in life is the feeling of  " not being heard".

Rather it is at work, in our social views or at home one of the more challenging issues is trying to have a active opinion. We all have our point of view and when we feel as if it is not being heard or that no one cares we tend to get angry. In some cases we try to find a way to break through.
We may talk louder or yell or get hyper and try to present or case.
We may find comfort in numbers and try to align ourselves with others in order to try to be heard.

The main objective is to try to remain true to ourselves and our values with turning ugly or negative.
Easier said then doe sometimes.
But we lose our validity of our argument if we just yell louder.

That is why you always need to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN.

Trying to be heard means you also need to hear others.

I TRUST YOU

When you make the first move and say “I trust you,” through word and deed, you accomplish the following:

You empower your people — Being trusted frees people to take responsibility and ownership of their work. Trust and control are closely related. We don’t trust others because we want to remain in control and over-supervising or micromanaging employees crushes their initiative and motivation. Extend trust means letting go of control and transferring power to others.

You encourage innovation — When employees feel trusted they are more willing to take risks, explore new ideas, and look for creative solutions to problems. Conversely, employees that don’t feel trusted will do the minimum amount of work to get by and engage in CYA (cover your “assets”) behavior to avoid catching heat from the boss.

You tap into discretionary effort — Trust is the lever that allows leaders to tap into the discretionary effort of their people. People who feel trusted will go the extra mile to do a good job because they don’t want to let the boss or organization down. Being trusted instills a sense of responsibility and pride in people and it fuels their efforts to succeed.

You free yourself to focus in other areas — What happens when you don’t trust your people? You end up doing all the work yourself. Leadership is about developing other people to achieve their goals and those of the organization. Does it take time? Yes. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it worth it?

Absolutely!

How To Show Your Employees You Care About Them

The below is not only for those of us that work in a office environment but also for drivers out on the road. How you treat your labor, the agent family and people in the Home Office will determine your success.



Retaining talent can be a major cost for businesses. A lot of time and money goes into interviewing, hiring, and training candidates.

So how do you keep staffers happy, so they don't leave you for the first decent job offer they get?
"The key is caring about your employees,"

 This is as simple as having their phone number saved, so you can text them on their birthdays or if something reminds you of them.

The bottom line is taking a personal interest in your employees will give them reason to believe they mean more to you than someone who's simply making you or the business money.

Employees need to feel like you "care about them and their future growth and who they are as a person,"

 "People love to work for people who care about them."