We are all bombarded with noise.  As the business owner, your noise has a particularly urgent ring to it.

But let us not forget that our staff of employees – those working toward the company vision – are also dealing with noise of their own.

Not just from the ‘outside things’ like the phone ringing, key customers calling, and their kid coming down with the measles.  It’s also from the inside.  We all have thousands of thoughts going on all at once, many of which peek into our consciousness from moment to moment, fighting for attention.  

You gotta fight ‘em off because you’re on a mission.  Hopefully, on their best days, your employees are, too.

Here’s a picture of what we (or our employees) might be dealing with right this very second.

Right?  OK, so what must we do?  

1.  Take an integrated view of management:  the better the individual, the better the employee.  So as managers, we must take an active (but not obsessive) interest in the lives of the people who are being commissioned to help us succeed.

2.  Develop a consistent regimen of meeting 1 on 1 with your personnel.  Try to keep these meetings at the same day and time so they begin to expect the meeting.  This also helps you to establish relationship, credibility, and progress with any issues you are helping the employee deal with.

3.  Give them a chance to really align themselves with the company vision.  In other words, draw out more of their personality and identity by asking good open ended questions, like ‘What does the next six months look like for you?’ or ‘What one thing would you change about your job (or life) over the next six months?’ or ‘What does your spouse think of your work here?’  

Remember, the purpose of your business is NOT to make money.  It is instead to help people realize their calling within the context of your business.  This includes you, of course.  But remember as a manager, you are best served by your employees if you are bringing them to higher levels of authority and responsibility.  This doesn’t happen by default.  You must spark this development by good, consistent management practices.

It starts by remembering when YOU were the employee!