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| Tony Ramos - Publisher |
Satisfaction
Shortly after the Rolling Stones had achieved a fair amount of public notoriety, a BBC interviewer asked Mick Jagger, lead singer and headliner of the rock group, how long the Stones would be making music. Jagger responded by saying that he thought that the Stones would be around for at least a couple more years, but that he did not see himself singing their hit song, “Satisfaction,” when he was 50 years old.
Over 40 years later, Jagger is still rocking the international music scene, and he frequently entertains his audiences, young and old, by performing “Satisfaction.” Judging from a recent online and newspaper report on employment, many U.S. workers have made “Satisfaction” and its line, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” their theme song.
According to the report, 45% of U.S. workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. Now, you would think that with unemployment in many cities and states above 10%, most people would just be happy to have jobs. Such is not the case—and while there are always going to be those employees who will moan, groan, and complain about almost anything, there are certain things that business owners and bosses can do to help employees feel better about coming to work each day and performing at their highest level. When employees were asked what they liked least about their jobs, the overwhelming response was that they were dissatisfied with the boss or supervisor. As they say, let’s start at the top.
I realize that you can’t please all the people all the time, but here are some things that you can do to help your employees take pride in their jobs and their company, and to help them achieve a greater sense of satisfaction with where—and for whom—they work.
Listen. There’s a saying: No one cares what you have to say until they know you care. Don’t just give lip service to listening to your employees. Listen to their ideas, cares, and concerns; seek out their ideas, input, and suggestions; and when it makes sense, implement their ideas. Giving undivided attention to employees, whether you agree or disagree with what they have to say, goes a long way in building bonds and relationships with them.
Give ownership. It’s a fact that most people take better care of homes that they own than of homes that they are renting. It’s also proven that most people treat their own cars better than they treat rental cars. With this thought in mind, give your employees ownership of their work assignments, their departments, their staff, their projects, and their ideas. By empowering employees with the ability to make decisions, to take credit, to take responsibility, and to oversee projects or tasks from start to finish—and by giving credit where credit is due—you will make employees will feel that they are so much more than just cogs in a wheel, and they will take on an ownership attitude. Even though it may be your business or your department, everyone needs to know and feel that he or she is an integral component of the company’s success or failure.
Don’t be a back-seat driver. Instead of trying to micromanage every aspect of employees’ days, give them breathing space. Sure, they may not do certain things just the way that you would, but if the end result is what you’re looking for, who cares? It’s human nature to want independence. From the time we’re in elementary school, we have an innate urge to accomplish things without someone else holding our hands every step of the way. Giving an employee breathing space to make decisions, to implement a plan of action, and to follow through on an assignment demonstrates trust and respect. If you’re really supervising, you’ll also be able to put an immediate stop to the problem in those instances when an employee is about step off a cliff.
Be an encourager. The great football coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, “For every two kicks in the pants, give a player three pats on the back.” Instead of constantly telling an employee what he or she is doing wrong, constantly tell an employee what he or she is doing right. While there are certainly times when you have to bring to the attention of an employee those things that need to be changed or improved upon, take the time to notice and acknowledge those areas where an employee really excels and has made a positive difference. You can catch a lot more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
Apply the Golden Rule. When it’s all said and done, simply do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Think back on when you were just starting out, or when you were under the supervision of a boss or a business owner, and ask yourself in what ways you would positively or negatively respond to direction, guidance, instruction, and leadership. Chances are that you’re not that much different, in many ways, from the people you employ.
Tony Ramos
Publisher
tramos@peninsula-media.com
PHPR January/February 2010
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